Cherchez la Femme
by the savage barbie
Summary: Bella Swan is wholly unaware that her real father is not Charlie Swan, but Billy Black. And Rosalie Hale is wholly unprepared to become the imprint of the clueless and clumsy new girl in Forks. — Rosalie x Bella. AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: **Some Quick Facts About This Fic:  
Chapters: **37  
 **Ship(s):** Bella x Rosalie. AlicexJasper, EdwardxTanya, EsmexCarlisle, RosaliexVictoria and LeahxJacob.  
 **Rated:** T for sexual themes, mild language and mild fantasy violence.  
 **Notes:** This is essentially a drastic rewrite of the Twilight Saga with BellaxRosalie as the central ship and Bella as a half-Quileute. I loosely follow the plot of the books with these changes, and I try my best to keep everyone IC. Anyway, thank you for clicking and I hope you enjoy the show.

* * *

 **CHERCHEZ LA FEMME**

* * *

 _I thought that love was just a word_  
 _They sang about in songs I heard_  
 _It took your kisses to reveal_  
 _That I was wrong, and love is real_  
 _"La Vie En Rose" - Edith Piaf_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

The evening before Bella Swan moved to Forks was dull and routine. Little did I know, by the next morning my life would never be dull or routine again.

Sitting in the Cullen Mansion, halfway through the sunset, I scowled at Edward and Tanya making out on the sofa beside me. Alice and Jasper were no better, over in the corner whispering about something inane. The mateless Emmett lumbered around outside doing yard work without any decent reason and I sat alone with a book on my lap and a sour expression on my inhumanly beautiful face.

Esme came up behind me. I sensed her presence, although she stepped lightly.

"Rosalie, dear," she said in that sweet tone I could never refuse, "would you mind going into town to pick up a movie for Family Night?"

"Of course," I said, nodding once in her direction. I tossed my book onto the sofa and grabbed my jacket—for the sake of appearances only; I had no need for coats—before striding out the door.

I walked towards my shimmering red Mustang. Then someone grabbed my shoulder. My first, fast impulse was to grab him by the arm and twist. Emmett. Unsurprisingly, Emmett.

"Jeez, Rose, lighten up a bit," he said as I released him. He nodded towards the Mustang. "I'm up for a car ride."

"Are you the family golden retriever?" I teased, a small smile sneaking onto my lips.

"I'm happy to accept that title," said Emmett with a grin.

"Get in," I said, opening my car's slick, cold door and sitting down. He followed.

Emmett was my closest companion in my coven. I often felt like a round peg in a square hole when it came to my family, as much as I loved them all unconditionally. He fit that description too, and so we meshed as best friends. Or as close to best friends as I got with someone.

At first, we did not get along well. I saved his life after he was mauled by a bear because he reminded me of a life I would never have. He took that as a romantic interest. I didn't feel that way. Not in the slightest. He got over his bruised ego surprisingly quickly. Vampires tend to cling to grudges for an unhealthy amount of time, so it was another thing I liked about him.

We went to the video store. Forks still had one. That was unsurprising to me. I knew just how fast technology moved; it felt like a blink of an eye to me and I was still amazed by my own phone. I knew these kinds of places were out of business thanks to Netflix, but, many families in Forks did what mine did, and so this place remained intact and open.

"Okay," said Emmett as he stepped inside, "I'm thinking _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_."

"It'll make me thirsty," I replied, smirking.

"Is horror out of the question then?" Emmett feigned being crestfallen. "What kind of creatures of the night are we if we _don't watch horror movies_?"

"What about an _old_ horror movie? Would that satisfy your very disturbing cravings?" I asked, walking down the classics section. I always did. My family loved to linger on the past.

I picked up my own personal favorite. Emmett huffed.

" _King Kong_ is not a horror movie," he complained.

"Yes, it is. At least it was when it came out," I sharply said, shooting him a stern glance. "And Esme told me I could pick the movie."

"I bet she just told you to pick up the movie," Emmett gruffly retorted.

"Pick up, pick, same thing," I chimed, fastening my grip on the case and striding up to the front counter. A boy I went to school with was texting at the register and I had half a mind to slap the cell phone from his greasy hand. Instead, I politely purred, "We would like to check this out."

"Y-yes, ma'am," he suddenly stammered, dropping his phone.

I squinted at the strange, jumpy creature. Emmett chortled.

On our way out, I hissed, "What was so funny?"

Under his breath, Emmett joked, "I think you almost made that guy pee his pants."

"I was being very cordial," I coolly insisted.

Emmett waved a hand, dismissing my firm statement. "Rose cordial is not _normal_ cordial."

"That's it. No talking on the ride home."

He gave a lopsided grin as he asked, "Was that _cordial_ too?"

"I'm _serious_ ," I snapped, prying my car door open.

Emmett kept chuckling like a buffoon as he got in beside me.

[X]

In our pristine living room, the Cullen Coven gathered on the sofa and in various chairs. Tanya cuddled with Edward, Emmett reclined on a solitary armchair, Carlisle had his arm around Esme, I sat on the edge of the couch and Jasper waited for Alice while she grabbed the movie disc and popped it into the player.

"I love this one!" she gushed with a gleeful grin. And she dramatically added in a surprisingly good Humphrey Bogart impression, " _No, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast_! Oh! That's just so romantic!"

Edward asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her sanity, "A monkey and a human is romantic to you?

"I think he's an ape," chirped Alice, standing up and grabbing the remote. " _And_ it's the fact that he loves her but could kill her and then it's his love for her that kills him or something. I don't know. It's a good movie and Rose has fabulous taste!"

Carlisle ended the discussion by saying, "Yes, she does."

[X]

The next day at school, I heard endless gossip about Bella Swan. Everyone already was talking about the daughter of Chief Swan's flighty ex for weeks and I _did_ just want people to get bored of her and move on from the droll topic. Hopefully this was the worse before it got better.

I did not have any classes with her until my last before lunch. Art.

Gracefully gliding down the aisle between the five paint-stained tables, I took my seat in the back and resigned myself to another day of making stupid masks. The two boys who always sit across from me took their seats, blathering on and on obnoxiously about some camping trip. I glanced up and got a good look at the new girl. Then I smelled her.

I could not at first dissect the scent, but I _could_ see a frightening vision in my mind. My teeth digging into her jugular, draining her of every drop of that very sweet…

Self-control, self-control, self-control. Carlisle and Edward taught me how to keep my head, even in a situation like this.

Then the bitch fell on her face, and rose to her feet. She studied me from afar and her lips parted. I was used to that gaze but this one made me shiver. It looked less like lust and more like adulation. At last, the sweet-smelling girl strode towards her seat.

The one beside me. No, no, no.

She stumbled over and sat down beside me. I tried to ignore her, licking my lips. Why was I licking my lips? I could not let myself even _think_ about devouring her.

Awkwardly, the girl cleared her throat. "I'm—I'm Bella."

"I know," I coldly said, trying to make it clear that she ought to keep her distance. "Everyone knows."

"Oh." Bella blushed bright red. I lost myself briefly in the rush of that sickeningly sweet and enticing blood.

I stood up and went to get my half-finished masquerade mask while the teacher went over the project with the new girl.

[X]

At lunch, my pseudo-siblings asked me what was wrong countless times and I tried to brush them off. Edward, of course, spoiled everything the moment he sat down.

"The new girl," he said and I scowled. "She smells like wet dog."

I angrily gasped out, "She smells like…"

"To you, she smells like a lapse in judgment," Edward explained. My nostrils flared and Emmett grimaced. I knew what he did to the person who attracted him like Bella attracted me. "She's a weird one. She makes me uneasy."

Alice shrugged. "She _does_ need a new haircut and maybe some new clothes, but other than the whole make-over thing, she's probably perfectly nice."

Tanya simply said, "And smells like a _dog_."

I looked over at Bella Swan. She sat with the only person who gave her the time of day, over in the tiny flare of sunlight at the corner table. I glowered at her, taking care not to bare my teeth but get the message through.

Stay. Away. From. Me.

"What is she thinking, Edward?" I demanded, fixing my eyes on him.

He focused on Bella for a moment, and then faintly recoiled. An aghast expression crossed his face for a flicker of a second before he composed himself and said, "I don't know."

I clenched my fists until my perfect nails fiercely dug into my diamond-hard skin.

Bella Swan was bad news.

[X]

Despite my discomfort over the new girl and her scent, it was not until I got home that I let the depth of my anger and fear show. I punched a dent in the wall, making everyone jump, and then as Esme began to greet us, I stormed up the stairs. Esme, of course, followed me, while everyone else knew to leave me be when my temper spiked. She loved me, and I consoled myself with that fact.

"Rose," she gently said, knocking on my open door. "What happened today?"

"The new girl," I said, feeling myself begin to shake. I did not know vampires even could tremble like this. "Chief Swan's daughter… she smells like… I could hardly… I thought I'd just sink my teeth into her right there in the Art Room! And then everyone else says she smells like a dog and Edward can't hear her thoughts and I hate her! I hate her!"

Esme set her hand on mine.

"There are humans like that for all of us. I don't know about Edward's gift or the scent everyone else felt, but, for you, she's a temptation that you must face," said Esme, now patting my hand. "But you won't face it alone. You can stay home as long as you need. It's okay."

"It is _not okay_ ," I snarled, before regretting it. I did not mean to snap at her. "How could that be okay? She dares come to this town and—and—and she's _cute_. She fell right on her face and made it look _cute_." I bared my fangs. Esme locked eyes with me.

Esme hugged me, but it felt hollow.

"You want to be alone, don't you?" said Esme. "I'll call the school tomorrow and tell them you're sick, so, just try to relax."

"I will," I begrudgingly said.

She slowly left my room.

I crumbled from rage.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

I gazed out of the car window as my mother drove me to the airport. My chestnut hair billowed in the dry wind as I squinted at the cloudless blue sky and the blurry scenery. A folded parka sat on my lap, out of place in the sweltering Phoenix weather. I was about to board a plane and go to the cold, rainy, overcast Olympic Peninsula in Northern Washington.

My dad, Charlie, lived in Forks. My mom escaped that small town and I was the accessory she smuggled out with her. Not that I didn't love my mom, love living with her, love Arizona. I did. Never was I a fan of the perpetually overcast Forks where I spent every summer up until eighth grade (at which time I insisted Charlie take me somewhere sunny with him). Not that I didn't love my dad, love visiting him, love our vacations to California together. I did.

I grew up torn between the starkly contrasting worlds of my parents and, for the first time, I chose to live with my father permanently instead of seeing him for one month a year out of twelve. It would be nice to get to know Charlie better, since we seemed to slip away further and further as time crept by. I tried to keep that in mind whenever I began to visualize the thick, impenetrable mist over the evergreen trees and the dreary grey skies.

We pulled up at the airport, I unbuckled my seatbelt, and I stepped out of my mom's car.

"Bella, there's still time to get back in and turn around," she said, her brow knit. She always hated goodbyes. I guess I did too, since I was tearing up and I hardly ever showed emotion.

"I made my mind up," I said, yet again. It felt like a mantra at this point, but no matter how much I got used to it, it never made me feel better about leaving my mom behind.

She reluctantly left the car and wrapped her arms so tightly around me I thought I would suffocate from the sheer force. And she said into my ear, "You can come home whenever you want."

"I know," I said, flashing a smile I hoped was reassuring. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Bella." She blinked back tears and I felt my throat constrict with emotion.

After bidding my mother goodbye a few more times, I walked into the airport and began to wait in line for the flight to SeaTac. I took inventory of my bag. My whole life fit into a camping backpack, and I didn't know if that was sad or not. In it were the clothes I wore most, the classic novels I could never part with, a few DVDs, a sparse few trinkets my mom insisted on me keeping, my paints and my camera for my watercolor and photography. I took up artsy hobbies since I had nowhere _near_ the safe amount of hand-eye coordination for sports. I had a small purse as a carry-on with my headphones in it and my phone safely in the back-left pocket of my soft, worn jeans.

I had seventeen years of life tucked into one bag.

Maybe there was something poetic about that. I didn't know.

[X]

After two long flights, I landed in Port Angeles. It was, predictably, raining. I put the hood of my sweatshirt up and skittered out into the rain, straining to keep the backpack on. Charlie was hard to miss; he showed up in a police cruiser. At least he wasn't a prisoner in the back of it; he was Police Chief Swan of Forks, Washington.

He got out and helped me slide the backpack into the cruiser, and then I slumped in the passenger seat. Charlie awkwardly made a few noises as he got in, shut his door and twisted his key in the ignition. Then we began our drive, which I knew would have a _lot_ of uncomfortable silences.

We exchanged a bit of small talk about Arizona and how my mom was doing, then launched into a pure-housekeeping conversation about a Chevy truck waiting for my use, and I waited an acceptable amount of time before I put my headphones in and started listening to my lengthy Spotify playlist of classic rock songs.

As we drove, I realized I never got over how _green_ everything was here. It was kind of impressive, and looked like an alien planet compared to Arizona.

Eventually, we arrived at Charlie's house. He never moved out of the only one I ever knew, the one he bought when he married my mom. My room never changed either. He replaced a crib with a bed and added a desk once I needed one. Same blue walls, same yellow lace curtains. I kind of loved the familiarity, and I _really_ loved the new truck in the driveway.

When we got out, I saw two people leaning against the red vehicle. I recognized them almost immediately as I stepped out of my dad's car. Jacob and Billy Black.

"You guys are late," says Billy, a twinkle in his eyes. I noticed he was in a wheelchair now, but it did not make him look any less fierce, especially next to his son—the boy I used to consider a brother—who reminded me of a teddy bear.

"Traffic," said Charlie, one of his famous one-word responses.

"How is your mother?" asked Billy and I shrugged.

"Good. She's got a new guy and he plays baseball," I explained, uncertain how much more I should divulge. I knew he dated my mom before Charlie did, and she was visiting him in La Push when she met my dad and got pregnant. She married Charlie and they lived in Forks until I was a few months old. My mom begged Charlie to go with her, but he had to stay with my grandparents and take care of them, so they divorced.

"Good for Renee," said Billy, and he did not mention her again. "Jake, help Bella take her stuff inside."

Charlie added, "Don't close the door. Me and Billy'll be in in a minute."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to worry about me and Jake. That'd be like kissing my brother."

Jacob laughed as he helped me with my hulking backpack.

We caught up as we walked up the stairs and he set it down on the bed that was a part of my childhood. Despite how dark it always was every day and the rain trickling down the windows, I was adopting a more pleasant disposition about living in Forks.

"Will I see you at school tomorrow?" I abruptly asked, hoping I could have at least one friend.

"I go to school on the Reservation," he replied with a shrug.

"Oh." I blushed, humiliated.

"But I'll see you around and stuff," Jacob hastily said, rubbing his neck. "Our dads watch the game some weekends and I could always come with him."

"That'd be cool," I said, nodding.

The afternoon and evening retained that level of awkwardness, and after Jacob and Billy left I unpacked and settled in.

No other choice.

[X]

I cried myself to sleep my first night in Forks. The homesickness hit me the hardest, unfamiliar smells, the sound of rain, the memories of my mother in my mind. Then I started getting myself worked up about the fact that I couldn't find friends even at a huge high school of three thousand students back in Phoenix. How would I find any friends in a town with such a miniscule population? People would have had their tight-knit groups formed before they were even _born_.

When I woke up, I felt even worse. My skin was sticky with sweat and I felt the chills that accompany a fever. My throat hurt and I had a splitting headache. Yet, I could not afford to be sick on my first day. I got up and poured a huge mug of the coffee Charlie brewed.

"You look sick," my dad said and I shook my head.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just nervous."

He stood up, set down the newspaper and set his palm on my forehead. Quickly, he pulled it back.

"You have a fever, Bells," he said and I shook my head.

"It's really nothing. Low grade," I said, which I thought was true.

"If you don't feel good, just give me a call and I'll pick you up. Nobody will mind," said Charlie and I nodded.

"Thanks, dad."

We returned to our respective morning routines.

After he left for the police station, I lingered for a few minutes and then put on my raincoat. I slung my bag over my shoulder and got into my new truck. At least it was dry inside, albeit cold and a bit muggy like all of the air in Forks. I said a silent prayer in my head for this old truck to start and, thankfully, it did without any trouble.

The school looked… folksy. I didn't have a better word for it. It was kind of picturesque, a place I'd almost like to paint as I would the gorgeous mountains. My school back home resembled a prison with its chain link fences and metal detectors. This place was more like an abnormally large bed and breakfast.

When I walked inside, I saw that even the lockers were made out of wood. Weird. I took off of my coat, grateful for the warm, dry air, and walked into the office. It reminded me of something out of the 70's, and had ugly padded folding chairs for students to wait in.

"Can I help you?" asked a ginger receptionist.

"I'm Isabella Swan," I said, giving a nod I felt was superfluous.

"Oh. We've all been waiting for you," she said, which was, to say the least, harrowing.

Everybody did know my dad, and everybody knew about his flighty ex-wife. I was that daughter she absconded with, I guess. It didn't help that I doubted there had been a new arrival to town in years. No wonder everyone was talking about me.

She gave me a map and a schedule and directed me towards Building 3. I put my raincoat back on, steeled myself, and walked back outside, heading through the sea of students that had arrived within the short time I was waiting for the papers.

I studied the map and found the right building, walking inside and then locating my locker. Wood. Again. Weird. But, homey as the design was, I struggled with the lock. Ugh.

"Do you need help with that?" asked a voice from behind me.

I jumped and the girl gave an uneasy laugh.

"Yeah," I said, studying the pale girl with brown hair. She had a smile on at least.

"You must be the new girl," she said as soon as I handed her the paper with the combination. "I'm Jessica. And you kind of have to shake these a bit to get them to work. This place is _ancient_."

I put the heavy bag of textbooks the redheaded receptionist gave me inside of it but kept my preliminary supplies in my backpack. I didn't know what I would need yet. The small actions made my limbs ache and I _knew_ I was coming down with at least a bad cold.

Just my luck.

I held back a sigh, wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and forced myself to ask Jessica, "What class do you have first?"

"English. Mr. Mason," Jessica said, smiling.

Relief washed over me. "I do too."

"Cool. We can sit together," she said, gesturing for me to follow.

I hoped this was the start of something good.

[X]

Students gawked at me all day. Nobody approached me but Jessica. One friend was better than none, so it was exceeding expectations. Only one teacher made me introduce myself and I, of course, tripped over my clunky rainboots on my way back to my desk after stammering through a humiliating introduction.

The morning was a blur until I saw her. She was sitting at the back table in art class, the one I looked forward to the most. Her skin was pallid to the point of translucence like mine, but that was where the similarities ended. She had impossibly perfect blonde hair and thick, dark eyelashes. Her lips were painted red and her posture was impeccable, a rarity in this day and age. She looked like a goddess, and I didn't mean a statue by that. Like a literal goddess from a legend.

Then, some powerful unseen metaphorical force collided with me like a punch in the gut. I was not just looking at someone beautiful. I was looking at someone who was the sole most beautiful thing in all of creation. Gravity shifted. It no longer tethered me to the Earth; it tethered me to _her_ , a stranger, a stranger who wrinkled her nose at the sight of me and averted her eyes. Maybe it was over something else. I hoped it wasn't about me.

I wanted her to want me, or something. It had to be a crush. I did not know if crushes were supposed to be this incredibly strong, like a powerful string pulling me by the navel over to the seat beside her, but there was no other explanation.

She smelled like heaven and looked like an angel. I had to talk to her, know her name, know everything about her and I did not know how because I did not talk to people often.

"I'm—I'm Bella," I said, feeling like a fool. No one had ever made my pulse elevate this way.

"I know," she coldly replied, crushing my aching heart. "Everyone knows."

"Oh." I blushed bright red. Then I noticed her eye color for the first time. They were not as beautiful as the rest of her; they were as black as coal.

Yet, I wanted to gaze into them for eternity. I was sucked into them like they were two black holes, engulfing everything I ever was in their gravitational pull.

Then she edged away from me, stood up and went over to the racks.

I thought I was going to cry, and barely could pay attention as the art teacher explained that we were making masks from clay and then decorating them.

It would be a fun project, were it not for the girl glaring at me and the strange, nonsensical sensation she flooded my blood with.

[X]

Lunch was a welcome reprieve from my agonizing day. Jessica took me to a table in the corner that got a little more of that grey light than the rest of the room. I didn't have much of an appetite but I tried to eat.

I looked up and saw the blonde girl from art class again. She was sitting with a group of other impossibly gorgeous people. Three boys and two other girls, then her. Even though the others were wildly attractive, none of them made me feel the way she did.

"Who's she?" I asked. "We had art together and I never got her name."

After following my line of sight, "The hot, pale blonde one? Rosalie Hale," said Jessica. "And those are her siblings. Edward, Emmett and Tanya are seniors. Rosalie, Alice and Jasper are juniors. They all live with Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife."

"They… don't look really friendly," I said, unable to voice exactly what I felt when I saw Rosalie Hale. It was weird beyond imagining.

"Yeah. They're hot," said Jessica, glossing over my comment about their thorny exteriors for some reason. "It's gross, though," said Jessica. "Edward and Tanya and Alice and Jasper are like _with_ each other. But they're basically _siblings_."

I couldn't help but look at them, and see how Rosalie Hale glared from afar, her glacially fiery golden eyes fixated on me. She looked _vicious_ , like she wanted to tear my throat out with her teeth or something twice as unsavory.

"So why does Rosalie Hale hate me?" I asked, peeling my gaze away from the glowering goddess.

Jessica laughed at my perplexed expression and answered plainly, "She hates everyone."

That was a fair enough explanation.

At least, I didn't ask for another one.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

Once my entire family save for Esme left the house, I abandoned my book for the first time all night and dressed myself. I wore my loosest white dress and spent little time on my eyeliner wings and red lipstick. I did not have anyone to doll myself up for, but old habits die hard.

I sat down in front of the television and flipped through the channels until I found a marathon of black and white movies. I missed them and, more than ever, today felt a strong wistfulness. The world was so much simpler many moons ago.

After _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ concluded, I heard Esme on the phone and paused the television to listen in. Wonderful; I knew already she must be talking about me.

"Rose needs help," she said in a hushed tone, which made me grind my teeth. "I think she could use support right now."

"I'm not going to live with the Denali Coven, Esme," I said, loudly enough to be heard in the other room. "I _like_ Forks. I do not want Chief Swan's daughter to run me out of town."

Esme changed her conversation topic, which led me to believe I made the right choice.

Or so I thought, because not quite three hours later, the doorbell rang. Alice, Edward, Jasper and Tanya would not be home from school yet and Carlisle certainly would not be done at the hospital. Esme went to answer it and I sighed before rising and going to join her.

Once the door opened, I glanced between Kate and Irina.

"It's good to see you," I said graciously, embracing them both one at a time. Just because I was miserable about my precarious new situation did not mean I had to be rude. "I'm certain Tanya will be very happy you have come to visit."

"We came for you, Rosalie," warmly said Kate, smiling at me in a reassuring fashion. "We heard about the singer and thought you could use some support."

"I suppose I could," I politely stated, although I was clueless as to what anyone could do about my situation. The only option I saw was to either get rid of Bella or force myself to be strong. Perhaps I could transfer out of art class and avoid her in the hallways.

Anything but be forced out of Forks by the freak.

[X]

As soon as my family returned home, we gathered in the more spacious of the two living rooms. Everyone spoke at once. It was louder in here than it had been in ages and I found myself at a loss for words. At last, when things quieted, my newest sister addressed her old coven.

"Where are Carmen and Eleazar?" asked Tanya, seeming slightly hurt by their absence.

Kate and Irina exchanged a glance that made me narrow my eyes.

Irina explained with a placating smile, "Eleazar is helping the Volturi with something and she accompanied him."

Tanya frowned, her eyes flashing with a deeply wounded luster. "He would never go back to them. And Carmen wouldn't let him."

"It was about a…" Kate locked eyes with Carlisle and I narrowed my eyes. "A coffin in Spain. All of our kind would aid the Volturi when it came to that."

Carlisle nodded, startling me. He had no hatred for the Volturi, but I did not think he would be so calm about such a vague statement. I tried to figure out what he and Kate could possibly mean.

"I hope there is no trouble there," said Carlisle, frowning with a severe look in his gilded eyes.

"Probably not," Kate calmly replied, flashing a smile. It was not confident enough for my liking; she was clearly hiding something, as was Carlisle.

A coffin in Spain? What was that supposed to mean?

Nothing good, judging by the unease of Kate and Carlisle when they spoke of it.

[X]

That night, while my family still entertained the Denali Sisters, I stood in our unused kitchen. Suddenly, Alice hopped up onto the counter. She wore an expression of pure, smug superiority.

I immediately demanded, "What did you see?"

She gave me a coy smile. So, I imagined it was nothing to do with a coffin in Spain, as I had hoped. What a useless and abominably frustrating gift.

"Nothing you won't find out later," she chimed as she looked me up and down, jumped down from the counter and scurried away.

Sometimes, I did not even know how to handle my own family.

[X]

After three days of watching soap operas and old movies on my sofa, I decided to bite the bullet and go back to school. The night before, Emmett and I went out hunting and I knew it would be enough to keep myself under control if that awful girl threw herself at me again.

I took extra care when selecting my clothes. After being gone, I wanted to look fantastic. I chose a red sundress and scarlet cardigan with nude tights and crimson heels.

"You look like Red Riding Hood," said Alice with a bright smile.

"No hood," I politely protested, but I did smile back. Alice posed it as a compliment.

Alice hummed in thought and then chirped, "Okay, Snow White and Rose Red?"

"And who is Snow White?" I inquired, laughing faintly at her excitement.

"Me, of course," she brightly explained, twirling to show off the loose white blouse she wore with powder blue designer skinny jeans. "We're Snow White and Rose Red and I love it!"

"Why would you not love it?" I said, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

I refused to be afraid.

I refused to be beaten by Bella Swan.

[X]

The day went well, but art class came whether I wanted it to or not. I contemplated going to the nurse's office to hide, but then I realized that would be letting her win. And so, I attended to class like I always did and gathered materials to finish my pink masquerade mask.

"Hey," Bella said, sounding far too confident for someone so mediocre. She seemed like a timid little thing last time I met her.

"What do I have to do to make you stop interacting with me?" I demanded, remaining focused on my pink paints and half-finished mask.

"Uh, I'll…" Bella blushed. "I'll leave you alone. I'm—I'm really sorry."

"Good," I icily stated, although I did feel a twinge of guilt.

Especially when she stumbled on her way towards the art supplies and had to catch herself on one of the shelves. Then, the paints rained down. I looked at her for the first time today and began to smugly smirk before I realized no one was helping her. I cursed at my own foolishness as I got up and picked up the paints. I avoided meeting her gaze as I neatly stacked everything back in place.

"Th-thanks," said Bella, blushing again. I ground my teeth to keep from thinking about them in her neck.

"I only helped because I was quite rude to you a moment ago. I do not want anyone to think of me as bitter or hateful," I earnestly said, taking half a step back towards my seat. "But, please, Bella, I am not interested in a friendship or anything more."

She wrung her hands and hung her head. "I understand."

"Good," I said, and I returned to my mask.

When Bella Swan sat down again, it was on the other side of the room.

Perhaps things could work out without me having to move to Alaska.

[X]

After school finally came to a close, I stood outside of Building Three, staring down at the sister who was muttering under her breath as she flipped through a folder. Alice took _ages_ rifling through her backpack. She could not remember if she had her homework or not and I sighed as I stepped into the parking lot. I heard and felt the car rolling behind and began to count to three before I would dash out of its way. _One, two_ —

Suddenly, someone collided with me. I flew backwards and smashed against the pavement as the car swerved out of the way. Bella Swan was on top of me, I knew from the smell. The _very_ pungent scent. I started to panic when I felt her hot blood on my cold skin. My eyes fixed on the girl I thought in a moment's time would be my public prey, but I managed to shove her off me and rushed away, grabbing onto Alice's raincoat. She secured her arm around my waist to hold me back while Jessica and two senior boys helped Bella Swan up off the ground.

"I'm really fine," said Bella, her blood infecting me from afar. I stopped breathing but knew it would not be enough for long, so Alice ushered me into Edward's silver Volvo. She slammed the doors shut to seal out the scent and sight of Bella's blood.

"Did she just throw herself in front of a _car_ trying to save your life?" Alice asked, bewildered.

"Thank you for the warning," I grumbled, mostly sarcastically. "I _assume_ that was the vision you still won't tell me about."

"It's not the vision, _and_ it's _amazing_ what Bella did!" Alice's eyes lit up.

" _How_ ," I snarled as I grabbed wet naps from the center console and scrubbed the blood from my porcelain skin, "is that amazing? I didn't need help."

"Rose, for someone so beautiful, you are _so_ clueless about love. The important thing is that she _thought_ you did," dreamily insisted Alice, her eyes sparkling so brightly that I felt sick. "She's _so_ in love with you. I _told you so_."

I hissed and said bitingly, "If you do not stop trying to set me up with the human I struggle not to _murder_ just from _smelling_ …"

Silence.

Alice at last said, "Were… you gonna finish that statement?"

I rolled my eyes and glanced at the ambulance in the rearview mirror.

"I was leaving the consequences up to your ample imagination."

[X]

Thirty minutes later, I sat on a bench in the hospital with Alice beside me. Carlisle called about Bella, mostly to make sure I was alright after being around her injuries, and then told us to meet him here. Clearly, someone must have mentioned that she flung herself in front of a truck for me.

"We should kill her," I said and Alice gasped. "We _should_. I don't want to _move_ again."

"I don't think she'll find out," replied Alice, frowning from pure concern. "And it's so cute and sweet she saved you!"

"She did not _save me_ ," I hissed through my teeth. "I was _seconds_ away from moving. I'm just smart enough not to draw attention to myself."

Alice's eyelashes fluttered. She looked irritated, but I ignored it.

"I already told you this," Alice stated. "She _tried_ to save you. That's romantic."

"Many people have loved me," I replied, as cold and inflexible as steel. "Many people have done drastic things to even look at me for a few moments. She is no exception."

Alice shook her head and a smile crept onto her lips. I knew that look. It was the one she wore when she had a vision that contradicted someone's fierce beliefs.

"What did you see?" I quietly demanded. "What was that vision?"

"I saw you coming home one day after a date and telling us you were in love with Bella," Alice chirped, predictably unable to keep the cat in the bag, as always. She already made quite the record keeping it from me for four days. Never tell Alice Cullen your secrets.

"We would need more substantial proof than that," I said. "Perhaps I was… being sarcastic."

"The look in your eyes was enough to tell," insisted Alice. "You were obviously in love with her in my vision and I'm usually not wrong."

"I'm not falling for a human. Point blank. In fact, I'm not falling for _anyone_. I don't do intimacy and you ought to know that after so many years." I knew I was right. Maybe in the future I would toy with Bella Swan's emotions for a moment or two; I had my flames with enamored brunettes in the past. Yet, Alice was reading into something I knew would not be there. She wanted me to be in love, wanted me to find a mate. She always did.

But I knew Bella Swan was not my mate.

Maybe—only _maybe_ —someone was to be mine, but not her.

[X]

"I had to lie in the records about her vital signs," said Carlisle as he drove me and Alice home from the hospital. I rolled my eyes, sick of hearing about Bella. "They were very unusual, and she was surprisingly unscathed. If the pavement wasn't enough, surely the collision with Rose should have broken a bone or two. I wonder…"

"Why our gifts don't work on her?" Alice chirped. "Maybe that has something to do with it."

"What was weird about her vitals?" I asked, hating myself for perpetuating the conversation but awfully curious about Carlisle's comment.

"Her fever indicated that she should have been dead," he explained, brow furrowed.

I bit my lower lip. She was unsettling to _all of us_ , not just me.

Alice asked, "Do you have any thoughts about why?"

"No," admitted Carlisle. "But I've encountered creatures other than just vampires. I would imagine she is one of them, albeit none I have had extensive experience with. It would perhaps explain why your gifts do not work on her."

"Should we run?" I asked, as much as the thought sickened me. It was not _fair_.

Alice said, "I think we should get to know her and find out more. Maybe she's friendly."

I rolled my eyes, making sure Alice caught sight of it.

Carlisle decided, "Alice has a point. I must admit I am curious."

"I already have a plan for how to get started," said Alice, smiling.

I groaned. "Ugh. What?"

"I'll take her shopping!"

"That's your plan for everything," I said with a sigh.

"You can come."

"I am afraid I have a prior commitment."

"I didn't even tell you the day yet."

"Well, what day are you going?"

"Saturday!"

"I am afraid I have a prior commitment."

Alice rolled her eyes, yet played along. "Just _what_ is this prior commitment, dear sister?"

"Emmett intends to break his record for pull-ups. I intend to be a witness."

Alice smiled. "Have fun."

"I will."

[X]

Upon arriving at home on Thursday, Alice spaced out, then looked horrified. My skin tingled; that was the look of a girl who had a frightening vision.

"Does your shopping trip go poorly?" I teased, but when she did not laugh, I knew it was even worse than I thought.

Alice gasped out, "We have to tell Kate and Irina."

"Tell them what?" Jasper asked, wrapping his arm around his mate.

Alice calmed in his arms, but only could muster one word. A name. "Eleazar."

I immediately knew it involved that mysterious coffin in Spain. I also knew this would not end well for the Denali Coven. Alice called Carlisle and strode into the backyard.

My siblings and I all eavesdropped. Alice spoke loudly, so, we were not _truly_ to blame for it. She told Carlisle about a vision of Eleazar and Carmen, that they were in darkness, in danger and Carmen was screaming at someone she did not see.

"What did he say?" Jasper asked his mate.

Alice somberly answered, licking her rosy lips, "He said he was coming home, to check on Esme, and not to go anywhere."

All we could do now was uneasily wait.

[X]

At last, the patriarch of the Cullen Coven made it home. He looked nervous, a rare emotion for him. Carlisle always had a calm superiority about him that matched his timeless and collected appearance. Right now, however, he appeared disheveled.

"Carlisle," pleaded Jasper, the perfect person to pry answers out of anyone, "what happened?"

The father of our coven sat down. I began to chew on my lovely lips.

"If Eleazar and Carmen found something in Spain, terrible things might happen," he stated. "I hope the vision does not mean…"

"Please, love, be clearer," begged Esme, setting her hand on his shoulder.

Carlisle nodded. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he looked prepared to explain something dark and dangerous.

"I don't often speak of my time with the Volturi," he began, "but I suppose this story would be told eventually. It began with the first vampire, an Egyptian woman named Amunet. She was remarkable, I am told. I never properly met her. By the time I became involved, she had been alive—for lack of a better term—for almost five thousand years. Of course, it was not her knowledge or beauty or the fact that she was the first vampire in history that made her so special. Perhaps it is a gift, or perhaps a side-effect of her creation, but she was _truly_ immortal, _truly_ indestructible. She was respected by all our kind for millennia, but, in the late 1700's, she became incredibly dangerous to humans and vampires alike. Her schemes were nightmarish. Enough so that even I agreed wholeheartedly with the Volturi that Amunet needed to be stopped, but she could not be burned or torn to pieces."

"Then what could you do?" prodded Edward.

Carlisle suddenly looked ashamed, more so than I had ever seen him.

He quietly admitted, shame in his golden eyes, "We built a coffin of stone and buried her alive almost a mile under Barcelona."

My lips parted from shock and revulsion. The rest of the coven looked as disgusted as I did.

"If she was securely held, why would the Volturi need to go check on her?" asked Edward, for our benefit, I assumed. I clasped my hands together and tried to focus.

Carlisle sighed before saying, "Kate did not specify to me why they asked for Eleazar's help and Alice's vision was not very clear. I am certain we will know more soon, but for now, we must go on with our lives as we usually would."

"I figured out who Carmen might've been yelling at. She said a name and maybe she was yelling _about_ this person or maybe _to_ this person," said Alice, beginning to pace anxiously. "The name she said was Angelique. Does that mean anything?"

Carlisle did not speak. He rose and walked outside, standing on the porch in the dead of the night, staring blankly forward.

I knew then that things were even worse than I previously feared.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

The day after my first day of school, I woke up with an even worse fever. I promptly hurled in the bathroom, tears dripping from my eyes while my stomach painfully contracted. Charlie overheard and briefly panicked over how to care for a sick kid. I told him I could manage and he was grateful.

Sadly, school was out of the question today. I was hoping to continue getting used to Forks and my new friend Jessica. Mostly, I was hoping to see Rosalie Hale again at art class, whether or not she hated me.

I could not help but see her face in my mind.

She had big, bright cognac eyes. Incredibly full rosy lips that lured me in like no other feature ever had on any person alive. And I needed to stop thinking about it because I was incredibly confused. I never had a real crush in my life and I had no clue why this one hit me so viciously. Maybe it was making up for all the ones I never had in the past.

Charlie knocked on my door and I stopped thinking about Rosalie.

"Bells, do you want me to stay home with you?" He rubbed his neck, clearly uncertain what sick-kid protocol was.

I looked up from what felt like my deathbed. I never had been so ill in my life.

"It's fine, dad," I stated in earnest, tucking myself more tightly into my soft bed. "I'm just not immune to Forks flu yet."

Charlie flashed a quick, subtle smile of a stoic man and went to go get ready for work.

I suffered through the day, reading classic novels to try to keep my mind off of my symptoms. I fished Leonardo diCaprio's _Romeo and Juliet_ out of my half-unpacked camping bag and then watched it while half-asleep.

Charlie brought Nyquil home with him, and, after I took it, I conked out.

That night, I had the strangest dream of my life. I chalked it up to the medicine. I dreamt that I woke up and got out of my bed. I dragged my bare feet like a zombie out into the backyard and walked outside into the dark, verdant forest that stretched for a long ways behind my house.

As I walked, I saw a mountain lion. It eyed me like I was a snack and I began to step backwards and away from the angry wild animal. It growled and something inside of me flicked on like a light switch. I let out an inhuman growl of my own and felt fire surge through my blood before my paws suddenly hit the muddy ground.

Paws.

I snapped and snarled and the mountain lion fled, whimpering.

Once I collected myself, I bounded through the woods like a liberated wolf, drinking in a thousand different scents that I never knew existed. I ran and ran and ran.

Then I woke up and contemplated my strange, vivid dream.

Then I took inventory of my body and noticed I was stark naked and curled on top of my covers. It was… strange, but I was feverish yesterday and last night so perhaps I undressed in my sleep. I used to eat in my sleep back home in Arizona. Once I unknowingly devoured half of the fridge. My mom laughed about it but I still felt humiliated.

After I got dressed in clean pajamas, I walked downstairs to get tea with honey and lemon, I saw Charlie standing frozen in our kitchen with a bewildered expression. Once I walked in, I understood why he looked so baffled. The whole place was turned upside down and at least half of our food was devoured. Crumbs and wrappers were strewn across the counters and table.

"That was probably me," I admitted, abashed and humiliated. I wanted to vanish into thin air. "I didn't eat much yesterday and sometimes I sleepwalk."

"It's no problem, Bells," said Charlie, sounding relieved now that he knew what happened at the crime scene. "Why don't you get some more sleep so you can feel better?"

I nodded, but I kept thinking that it _was_ a problem.

To tell the truth, I thought I might be going insane.

[X]

The next night, I had a similar dream about running through the woods in the body of a wolf. I saw myself leave my room and race through the woods, surrounded by scents and sounds. Again, I woke up stripped in bed, probably from the fever again. But the third night was different. I bounded deeper and deeper into the forest this time. I saw a deer, nervous and running, as if pursued by a hunter. I followed it in the shadows and saw who tracked it. A flash of blonde hair, a glimpse of golden eyes.

My Rosalie Hale. Chasing a deer for some reason.

When she glanced my way, I ran away in the opposite direction.

On Thursday morning, I no longer felt sick, and, while I thought I was having an endless hot flash like the ones I got once or twice a month, my skin felt normal to the touch.

So, I was fully prepared to return to school.

And see Rosalie Hale.

[X]

Jessica was the bubbly, cheerleader type. It was not something I was used to, or usually looked for in a friend, but I genuinely liked her and did not want to judge her on the surface level. In gym class, I awkwardly stumbled through getting my clothes on. I tried to conceal the purple stretch marks on my legs and sides of my chest while I dressed myself in a bathroom stall.

When I walked out, I saw Jessica sitting on the glossy wooden bench.

"I was waiting for you," she said, beaming. "You're on my team for tennis today."

"I—that might be a bad idea," I anxiously said. "I'm—I don't have great hand-eye coordination and I'd probably accidentally decapitate you with the racket."

"I'm willing to take that chance," said Jessica, and I heard the undertone in her words. No one else would volunteer to be on my team. Everyone still seemed frightened of the idea of having a new kid, especially in January instead of September.

"Okay. Cool," I awkwardly said, walking out into the gym with Jessica and grabbing a tennis racket.

We played against Lauren and Angela, two other girls who sometimes talked to Jessica but never talked to me. The two other girls got several points ahead of us within minutes, thanks to my blundering. Jessica clearly was losing her patience and I wanted to crawl under the bleachers and hide for the rest of the day.

Suddenly, a tennis ball flew directly at my face. I thought it might break my nose, but I moved in one fluid, fast motion and smacked it with the racket, landing it between Lauren and Angela and essentially getting me and Jessica on the board.

I stood in place, stunned and frozen.

Why? Because I, Bella Swan, clumsiest human on the planet, just whacked a ball with a racket with perfect precision. It smashed down on the court directly where I was aiming and Jessica shrieked from excitement. I zeroed in on the game and started to dominate gym class with a fervor, stunned by how easily and agilely I moved.

After gym class, I held a crumpled paper with the list of sports tryouts in my hand; the gym teacher forced them on me. I did not even bother to clean myself up in the locker room and had to drag myself through changing back into my normal clothes.

Only one word was in my mind. How?

How was, I, Bella Swan, clumsiest human on the planet, suddenly so athletic?

[X]

In art class, Rosalie Hale had her eyes fixed on the mask she gracefully painted. I walked across the room and sat down across from her. She deliberately did not look up at me.

"Hey," I said, feeling weirdly confident after gym class. Usually, it was quite the opposite.

"What do I have to do to make you stop interacting with me?" Rosalie coldly demanded, still not lifting her eyes from her pink paints and half-sequined masquerade mask.

"Uh, I'll…" I felt my heart pounding and my face heating up from the humiliation. I thought I might throw up from embarrassment and anxiety. "I'll leave you alone. I'm—I'm really sorry."

"Good," Rosalie coldly said and I nodded, blinking back tears.

I went to go get my plaster for making my mask and then, that preternatural ease vanished, and I stumbled over my rain boots. I caught myself on one of the shelves before I could faceplant, but the paints rained down on me. I dodged them and blushed bright red while the class stared. I began to pick them up, on my own, since everyone in the room seemed rooted in the spot.

Suddenly, I smelled the scent of Rosalie Hale. She smelled like rosewater and cherry blossom, an odd combination that was sweet and sharp and beautiful. She picked up the remaining paints and I got to my feet.

"Th-thanks," I said, hanging my head. I could not feel worse right now.

"I only helped because I was quite rude to you a moment ago," calmly stated Rosalie. "I do not want anyone to think of me as bitter or hateful." She began to walk away and I felt relief before she stopped and I began to internally panic again. "But please, Bella, I am not interested in friendship or anything more."

The message was loud and clear. "I understand," I said earnestly.

I gathered the plaster and went to sit down in the only other open seat; it was one not beside Rosalie Hale, because I now knew she did not want me.

Three times I started over my mask. I never could get it right, which was why art always took me hours upon hours. My work was never good enough until I deemed it almost perfect.

Today, I felt particularly perfectionistic.

Art class was not as fun as it usually would be.

[X]

In the parking lot after school, I walked towards my truck. This morning, I could not find a space near the school, so I had to take quite the walk.

Suddenly, my skin prickled and instinct made me pivot towards that jock Tyler's car. I saw why I noticed it; Rosalie stood rooted in place, about to be hit and hurt. My heart began to race; I could not let this happen.

I ran towards her and took a leap like Baryshnikov, tackling her out of the way just as the car recklessly backed up and smashed into another kid's vehicle. Rosalie's body felt like a brick wall and it knocked the winds out of me when I collided with her. My arm bone made a sickening crack and I felt the three stinging, painful gashes in my skin. Some of the blood poured onto Rosalie, and she shoved me off of her, running towards her sister.

A crowd gathered around me, helping me to my feet and calling an ambulance. I glanced around for Rosalie but did not see her before they ushered me to the hospital. That probably was for the best, since I knew Rosalie did not want me like I wanted her.

It ached like a pulsing bruise, but I knew I had to respect her wishes.

[X]

At the hospital, Carlisle Cullen stitched up the gash on my arm.

"This doesn't look as bad I imagined it would be. You lost enough blood for a much larger wound," he said as he worked with his impressively nimble hands.

I said, trying not to flinch at the stitches going into my warm skin. "I, well, I thought it was worse too, and I thought I'd have more bruises, actually."

"Yes. You escaped relatively unscathed." He finished his work and examined my arm. "So, what possessed you to throw yourself in front of a moving car?"

"Rosalie," I croaked, eyelashes fluttering.

"Did she push you?" he inquired, and it took me a moment for me to realize it was a joke. I laughed too late to be appropriate.

"It was coming at her. I just…" My head hurt. To tell the truth, I did not know what happened, nor did I know how I could have moved so fast, or how our collision could have been so forceful.

"I appreciate you helping my daughter," said Carlisle. "But I'd advise you not to throw yourself into potentially deadly situations again. You'll find she's very strong and capable."

"Yeah. She felt kind of like smashing into a brick wall." It was true. That impact would be enough to crush somebody's ribs, from how it felt.

Carlisle gave me a cryptic smile. Before I could ask, Charlie burst through the door.

"Bella," he said, his eyes wide. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking," I earnestly admitted.

Charlie shook his head at me. He began to look calmer, but I still knew I must have thrown him into the panic. I felt guilty knowing he received the call that I was injured.

Carlisle turned to Charlie before he could speak.

"Her discharge papers are on the way. I can release her to you in fifteen minutes or so." Carlisle examined Charlie closely. "She may have been careless, but it was also brave of her to protect my daughter. I am grateful for her selflessness."

"Thin line between bravery and stupidity," grunted Charlie, crossing his arms and broadening his shoulders. "But she's a good kid. You hurt, Bells?"

"Not as bad as I thought when I first fell," I said, hoping it would ease his suffering. My words were true, after all.

Charlie sat down without saying another word. As we waited for the discharge papers, I rummaged in my orange backpack and pulled out the crinkled tennis schedule out of my bag.

"The coach wants me to join," I stated, handing the paper to Charlie.

He cocked an eyebrow, looking puzzled. I did not blame him.

"That's great," my dad at last remarked. "Will you do it?"

"I don't see why not." I shrugged.

Charlie smiled at me. He looked proud and I felt good for the first time all day.

[X]

The next morning, I stood with Jessica in the hallway before first period.

"It was _really_ metal when you jumped in front of a car," she said, smiling and adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.

"Really _stupid_ , you mean," I said with a sigh.

Jessica laughed again. "You saved Rosalie Hale's aerobicized booty."

"Her what?" I asked as a monster inside of me growled.

Jessica smirked with a gleam in her eye. "Pretty little ass? What should I say?"

Before I could think of an answer, the last person I would expect interrupted us. Alice Cullen.

"Hi," she said, beaming. "I was wondering if you two had dresses for the Valentine's Dance."

"I wasn't planning on going," said Jessica.

"Me either," I added, seeing as I was socially awkward and did not have a date.

"Well, you two _should_ come, since it will be so much fun. I wanted to invite you both to go shopping in Port Angeles this weekend." She then sang, "It'll be fuuuuun."

Shopping did not sound fun to me, but I felt compelled to reply, "Sure. What time?"

"Yay!" Alice clapped her hands. "Jessica?"

"If Bella goes, I guess," she said, grimacing.

"You ladies won't regret it. I promise." Alice beamed. She had a marvelous smile. I bet she had braces in middle school. It was an odd image in my head; I found it hard to think about someone so gorgeous and put-together as a gawky tween with metal in her mouth. "And dinner is on me. Consider it a thank you for rescuing my sister."

"Sounds fun," I forced myself to say.

Alice sang, clearly thrilled, "I know!"

Jessica and I exchanged a wide-eyed glance.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _On the topic of Amunet, I must say I'm always hesitant to make OCs, but I knew that with a tougher Bella, I needed much tougher villains to challenge her and Rosalie. James, Victoria and Laurent will appear in this story and have significant roles, but, while they're much stronger than a human, it's unlikely they could pose a real threat to a werewolf. Anxiousness about introducing Amunet aside, thank you so much for reading this far and I hope you're enjoying the show._


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

I reclined in the living room while the other members of my coven had retreated to their bedrooms to endure the usual sleepless night. _Cleopatra_ with Elizabeth Taylor played on the television; it was easily one of my favorite films, if not _the_ favorite. Elizabeth Taylor was stunningly beautiful and I adored the story.

Suddenly, I paused the film; I heard someone moving. As I rose, I saw a flash of Carlisle headed towards the front door. Hurriedly, I followed him out onto the porch. He froze and turned to face me, a severe expression engraved on his face.

"Where are you going?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Spain, and perhaps Italy," he stated, which was the answer I expected but truly did not want to hear.

I bitingly replied, "I assume it is unrelated to the vampiress you helped bury alive?"

He frowned and I felt a pang of guilt in my gut. Then he averted his eyes for a swift second before returning them to me.

"Would you like to come?" Carlisle warmly offered and I furrowed my brow. "I know you didn't want to go to Alaska, but you could buy some new clothes while I deal with the situation."

"Why do you want me to come with you?" I asked, crossing my arms tightly over my bosom. "Is it not too dangerous for me?"

Carlisle gazed at the rotund moon for a few moments. I waited patiently, lips pursed, until he returned his attention to me.

"Yes," he said. "It is more danger than I would care to put you in, but I don't have to have Jasper's gift to feel your pain and sadness here in Forks. I think it would help you to take a leave of absence and sort out your thoughts about Bella Swan."

I unwrapped my arms from my chest and tried to think. On one hand, leaving would let my discomfort regarding Bella win over my strength. On the other, I knew I would accompany him not for my relationship of hatred but for my curiosity about Amunet and the mysterious name Angelique.

"I think I would like to get away from here. It is difficult to live in this town at the moment, as much as I have always liked Forks," I decisively replied. It was a partially honest statement, at least. I hated lying to Carlisle but I knew he would not take me if I told him it was solely about Amunet.

Carlisle gestured towards his car and I grabbed my purse.

[X]

First, we drove to Sea-Tac and purchased urgent tickets to Spain. I bought numerous crossword puzzles and fashion magazines in the airport to entertain myself during the lengthy flight. At last, we landed near Barcelona and disembarked the plane.

"Where are we going in Spain?" I asked as we slowly strode through the airport, seeking somewhere to stay until the sun went down. We would sparkle in this weather, which would attract the ire of the Volturi and loathing of humans.

Carlisle answered, stopping near a deserted terminal and locating two seats far from the window, "To where Alice last saw Eleazar and Carmen."

I could have guessed that; I wanted more specifics.

"To where Amunet was buried?" I prodded, gracefully taking my seat and setting my Ralph Lauren purse on my lap.

Carlisle nodded. "I need to witness what happened with my own eyes," he said. "Then, if need be, we will head to Volterra and see what can be done."

We said no more while we waited for nightfall. At last, it came, and the two of us nonchalantly left the airport, rented a car, and drove through the dark city to a shoddy construction site on the fringes of Barcelona. Carlisle parked and vacated the vehicle. I watched him cautiously walk toward the excavation. After a few seconds, I collected my thoughts and followed him.

In the middle of the now-closed site, a huge pit plummeted into a pitch black abyss. Around us were normal fixtures of someone building an apartment complex, but there, I knew Amunet lurked for centuries, until this construction crew disturbed her.

"I guess the humans picked a bad place to build," I remarked as Carlisle began to explore the area surrounding the pit.

"Rose, stay here and don't move," Carlisle ordered and my eyes flashed wide. I wanted to stop him, but he looked serious and I knew I should not intervene. He dropped down into the pit and I clamped my hands over my mouth to suppress a scream. He was a vampire; he could easily survive that drop, but it still made my stomach lurch to watch him fall.

I stood beneath the moonlight, counting the seconds in my head until the patriarch of my coven emerged, easily pulling himself to the surface. He stood and brushed the dirt off of his fashionable suit.

"It is exactly as I feared," gravely said Carlisle. I did not know how to react.

I took another peek at where Amunet was buried, and then headed back to the car directly by my adoptive father's side.

As I snapped my unnecessary seatbelt on, I asked, "Volterra then?"

He nodded in silent assent.

[X]

Mere hours later, I stood in the headquarters of the Volturi, my posture stiff and my eyes flitting around in anticipation of an attack. To keep sane, I kept reminding myself that I had done nothing wrong, and that I had no desirable gifts.

"I didn't see remnants of a fire. What happened to Eleazar?" Carlisle asked, halfway through his conversation with Aro.

Aro coolly explained, "We cleaned up. We needed to do damage control before the construction workers returned," smoothly said the head vampire.

Carlisle frowned. "We all grieve for him, and in his memory we must track down Amunet."

"Yes," said Aro. "An unfortunate fate has befallen Eleazar, but I assure you, my old friend, that I have my best on the trail of our escaped enemy."

"What help did she have? I have the suspicion that the construction was not the full cause of her unearthing." Carlisle would not drop this, as much as I wanted him to. I _knew_ it would be best to simply give our regards and flee this city, but he cared too much.

"She was exhumed by more than one of vampirekind. I have graciously been informed by Carmen that Angelique was finishing the work, but she did not do it alone. The girl always was charming, I must admit," explained Aro, a wicked smile creeping onto his lips.

I did not understand it. He should have been _afraid_ , not _amused_.

"She cannot grow in power," Carlisle vehemently insisted, causing Aro to take a slight step backwards. That certainly impressed me.

"Yet, she has the same weakness she did before," Aro stated, his lips contorting further. "She would go far to protect her mate, like any of us. If they are together, as the situation implies, we can go for the head of Angelique. My people will take care of this. You have nothing to fear, but I would not mind your presence here."

Carlisle at last accepted the unchangeable and declared, "I should be headed home soon. I will trust in your words."

Aro smoothly asked, "You won't stay a while?"

Carlisle politely smiled and gave a brief wave. "I am afraid not."

He grabbed me by the arm a little too tightly while we walked away.

[X]

I wrinkled my nose from displeasure as soon as Carlisle began to drive. My bitter expression faded when I briefly lost myself in my glittering skin. I so rarely saw it that way; I was too careful.

"What are you upset about?" asked Carlisle.

"He didn't seem as worried as I thought he should be," I said, frowning again.

Carlisle casually replied, "His overconfidence has always been legendary. But I don't think we should worry much about Amunet. Aro might not take her seriously enough, but I believe she will leave us alone long enough for other vampires to ensnare her."

I rubbed my lips together then adjusted my lipgloss in the rearview mirror. Briefly, I bat my eyelashes at myself and flashed my stunningly gorgeous smile.

"You really do?" I said, leaning back in my seat. I needed to relax.

Carlisle confidently stated, "Yes."

"Alright," I said, accepting that Carlisle knew much more than me.

Still, I worried for my family.

[X]

Alice waited on the front porch. She sat on the swing seat with headphones clamped over her ears, humming contentedly. Alice turned off her music and set her headphones on her lap once Carlisle and I arrived at the big white house by the river.

"I took Bella out yesterday," she said, grinning. "It was a blast!"

"Good. You can keep her," I crisply said.

Alice rolled her eyes and giggled. "I took her out as a _friend_. She's so sweet. I think we should get to know her."

I huffed. "We don't get to know people. We need to keep our secret."

"Well, I am going to make an effort." Alice smiled mischievously. " _And_ if we get closer, we could find out _her_ secret. Whatever makes our powers useless on her and her fever so high."

"I had a thought about that on the plane," said Carlisle and Alice's eyes widened. "All those years ago when we interacted with the Quileute…"

"Have you seen her skin? She is as white as us." I derisively said, wondering if I was the only person in the family who had not lost their mind. "I doubt she's a wolf."

Carlisle shook his head. "Her mother has a… reputation, as we all know from the gossip in town. Perhaps she has some wolf blood in her."

"Or perhaps she is some creature of another breed," I insisted, planting my feet more firmly on the ground.

"Should we believe in what we have already seen, or should we believe in what best fits our biases?" Carlisle asked.

I kept quiet after that, but I knew it was absurd to assume Bella Swan was a biracial shifter.

[X]

On Monday, I wore eyeliner sharp enough to stab a mortal with and a tight orange dress and an equally orange flower in my hair. I looked my best, with a little inspiration from my favorite film. I strode into the school with complete and utter confidence, that only faltered _slightly_ when I saw Bella Swan leaning against her locker, trembling faintly.

I considered asking her if she was well, but I decided against it. The best course of action was to ignore the girl who made me feel so strange. My classes went smoothly, but when art came, I saw Bella working on a new project.

It puzzled me. "Why are you making a wolf mask? I thought you were making that one with the autumn leaves on it."

Bella's eyes widened into startled circles and her lips parted. She gawked at me for a few fleeting seconds before clearing her throat.

She awkwardly stammered, "I just—I just like wolves."

I absentmindedly ran my smooth scarlet nails across my lower lip and contemplated Carlisle's suspicion. Maybe she _was_ a wolf. Then I looked at her physical features again and concluded that there was no possible way that could be true.

"I wish you luck on your wolf mask," I crisply stated, and returned to my pink sequins.

[X]

After school, I stood waiting for Alice—as I do daily—and watched Bella walk out of the school. She still looked sweaty and paler than usual. A well-built Quileute boy leaned against her truck and she smiled widely when she saw him. I ground my teeth as my cheeks heated and my heart fell into my stomach.

"Jealous?" Edward asked and I yet again loathed the fact he could read minds.

"Why don't you make actual use of your gift and figure out what the boy is thinking?" I inquired and Edward shrugged.

He stood rigidly, tuning in to one person's mind. I waited as patiently as I could.

Edward's expression contorted into one of shock before he turned to me. "I know what Bella is. It was in the boy's thoughts."

I haughtily replied, "I do not know why you think I care."

Yet, he told me anyway: "She's half Quileute shifter, like Carlisle thought. It doesn't explain why my gift doesn't work on her, but it explains a number of other strange things about her."

"Maybe. I guess she's just a freak, like we thought."

"I would call her as much of a freak as a vampire is."

"Please leave me alone about Bella," I said, and sternly enough to make it final.

Edward gave a slight nod and walked to his car, but I knew it would not be the end of my family's Bella Swan obsession.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

On Saturday, Alice Cullen pulled up in front of my house in her stunning, shimmering sports car while I was knotting my Converse laces. My heart fluttered. _Friends_. Friends was a new concept for me and, honestly, it was terrifying.

Charlie came up to me when I stood. Alice had yet to begin walking to our front door. He handed me a small wad of cash. I blanched and tried to hand it back to him, to no avail.

"Dad, I can't," I said, clenching my fist around the money. I was used to not having much; Renee raised me on a kindergarten teacher's salary and Charlie made a modest amount as a police chief in a small town.

"It's nothing, Bells," he insisted, giving me a stern look that meant he was serious. "I want you to have a nice outfit for the dance."

I studied his stern eyes and stoic expression and saw I would get nowhere with him. Embracing defeat, I just thanked him. The doorbell rang and I took in a sharp, deep breath. Swiftly, I scurried to open the door, revealing both Alice and Jessica standing on the doorstep.

"Ready to go?" chirped Alice, her eyes sparkling like golden coins.

"Yep," I said, grabbing my leather purse from the floor and slinging it over my shoulder.

Alice pointed at the car with a grin.

[X]

We listened to the radio heading to Port Angeles, which meant I could not make a fool of myself with words. Then, we parked and headed into the boutique of Alice's choice.

I looked around and decided that this place was probably far to expensive for me. Alice started running her hands across all of the glamorous dresses and Jessica joined her while I remained frozen in the doorway.

Alice turned to face me once Jessica starting floating between the pricey garments.

"What kind of dress do you like?" Alice asked me, cocking an eyebrow. The expression looked forced, but I did not mind.

Never had I put much thought into what kind of gowns I preferred, but as I looked around the boutique I decided.

"I want something simple and short," I said, rubbing my arm. I hated shopping for clothes and I hardly knew how to do it without looking like an idiot.

"Okay," Alice replied, smiling at me and examining one of the dresses. It was a mahogany color with a strapless top and a tiered knee-length skirt. I shook my head. "At least try it _on_."

"Alice, I really—I'm not really sure," I anxiously said.

"What color do you want?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder as Jessica walked out in her deep indigo blue dress. "That is so cute on you!" Then she turned back to me. "What color?"

"I like black and white," I said, walking towards a dress that caught my eye. I discreetly examined the price tag and saw I could thankfully afford it. "This one."

"Is it love at first sight?" Alice beamed.

I bit my lip and nodded. "I guess I have to try it on."

"Absolutely!" Alice beamed. Jessica strode out in a pink tulle dress. Alice turned to her and chirped, "That is _lovely_!"

I walked into the curtained, maroon and saccharinely scented dressing room and shimmied into the black dress with white beading wrapped around the bodice. When I walked out, Alice feigned swooning. My cheeks burned.

"Is it good?" I nervously asked, looking in the mirror and picking out my every flaw.

Jessica declared, "It's perfect."

"You need heels," Alice interjected, backing towards the platforms of shoes.

I shook my head. "I can't walk in them."

"It's an art and you can learn it," Alice chirped, holding up a pair of sparkling ivory ones I would never wear in a thousand years. "You will _glide_ in them by the time I'm done with you. _And_ speaking of _art_ , I hear that's the class you have with my sister?"

"Uh, yeah," I quietly said, averting my eyes.

Jessica raised her hand. "I call picking out Bella's shoes!"

"Awww," whined Alice, giggling.

I slunk into the dress room and started changing back into my jeans and shirt. When I at last emerged, the dress draped over my forearm, I saw Jessica holding up plain white shoes that matched the gems on the dress.

"Do you like them?" my first friend inquired.

I shrugged. "They're not bad."

Jessica set them on the counter, snapping the shop-keep into action.

"The shoes are my treat!" Alice chimed, and I wanted to protest, but I knew I could not afford them and I did not want to deal with that embarrassment. "I needed to give you a gift for saving Rose's life, don't I?"

"Thank you," I said, offering a smile. Alice beamed back. "But what about dinner?"

Alice sang, "The etiquette rules of dinners are that the inviter pays for the invitees."

I did not know if that was true, but I nodded. Alice seemed determined to make this afternoon and evening as painless as possible and I appreciated that.

We paid, left the store, and walked to the restaurant, Jessica and Alice giggling about gossip that I hardly could follow since I did not know most people in Forks yet. My new friends chose Bella Italia, an Italian place that shared my name.

"Do you like it?" Alice asked, beaming.

"Yeah," I said, glancing around at the décor.

"So, Mike Newtown…" continued Jessica, catching Alice's attention.

During dinner, Alice did not eat, which made me feel awful. She should not have to pay for me and Jessica—even if her family had more money than God—so I ordered the cheapest item on the menu and only drank water. Jessica, however, had a fancy seafood dish and three sodas.

"Bella, how's your love life? Did you leave anyone in Arizona?" Alice sweetly asked, leaning forward and widening her pleading eyes.

I set down my spoon. "Oh… I've never dated anybody."

Alice prodded, "A crush, maybe? Don't lie."

It made me nervous to be open about my sexuality to small town girls but Alice had such kind eyes and I knew from the political buttons on her backpack that Jessica was progressive. "I had a crush, but she was way out of my league. Her name was Millie and she was from England. She had this natural platinum hair and such a classy accent. But she was one of the most popular girls in school and I don't think she knew I existed."

"Do you like _blondes_?" Alice teased with a strange, knowing glint in her eyes.

"I wouldn't say I have a real type," I admitted. Then it hit me; she was talking about Rosalie. My gut twisted and my heart imploded, therefore I tried to change the subject from the beautiful girl with whom I knew I was in love. "But I know when I know, y'know?"

"I do know," Alice said, she then smiled as if she had an inside joke with herself and added, "I knew when I knew about Jasper."

Jessica gushed, "He's so hot. You're lucky. And I bet he's sensitive. He looks sensitive."

"He is," Alice said with a smile.

I returned my attention to my meal.

[X]

On Sunday, Billy and Jacob came over for the game, rolling up in Jacob's truck and upholding rowdy conversation immediately. I grinned when I saw my old friend and he pulled me into a hug that nearly crushed my bones. When he finally released me, we both laughed. Billy and Charlie already started cracking open beers and settling down to watch the game.

"Wanna sit with those guys?" I asked Jacob and he nodded.

We ended up seated on the floor in the living room, laughing as we reminisced about being kids together.

During a commercial, Charlie drew my attention when he remarked, "Bella is joining the tennis team. I never thought she'd do a sport."

"I'm sure you'll have fun, Bells," said Billy, lifting his beer towards me.

"I'm pretty psyched. I start practice tomorrow after school."

"Hey, I wanna see that," Jacob said. "The school on the rez gets out earlier than the Forks one; why don't I swing by? Meet you at your truck or whatever and see if you get knocked out by a tennis ball."

I rolled my eyes. This good athlete change happened overnight, and I knew I would not easily live down my past clumsiness.

"You can do that if you want," I said. "I'd actually like it if you did. I'm pretty nervous about going to practice. I'm pretty sure it could go all _Invasion of the Bodysnatchers_ if they realize I'm not one of them."

Jacob asked, "One of the tennis players?"

I shook my head and casually replied, "One of the people who doesn't trip over her boots and doesn't honestly even know the rules of any sports but baseball."

He shot me a toothy grin.

[X]

After the game, Jacob asked, "Wanna head to La Push for dinner? We'll fire up the grill. Best burgers in Washington, guaranteed. Chief, Bells?"

Charlie frowned and gruffly replied, "I can't; I have a shift at work, but Bells?"

"Yeah," I eagerly said, and I did not waste any time getting in Jacob's truck, sitting in the back with no seatbelt while Jacob helped Billy get in the passenger seat.

Jacob turned on the radio and it predictably started playing a grunge song.

I listened to it and to the banter between Jacob and his dad. It brought a small smile to my lips during the car drive.

At Jacob's house, I watched my old friend start the grill and sipped a can of Dr. Pepper. He was telling a story about his friends Quil and Embry, and the trouble they got into while swimming in the fountain at the mall. When it concluded and he got the meat on the grill, he turned to me.

"Wanna check out the trail behind my house?" he inquired.

"Are you hitting on me?" I asked.

"Nah. Come on." Jacob started walking and I hustled to follow him.

We strode for a while beneath the thick canopy of trees, disappearing further and further into the woods. I inhaled the fresh, cold spring air of the Pacific Northwest and reveled in the calm and comfortable silence.

Suddenly, Jacob rose his arm to stop me.

"I heard something," he remarked under his breath and I frantically glanced around.

Then it approached us. It was a ragged and overlarge coyote that stood on the path in front of us. Why were there so many angry wild animals on the Olympic Peninsula?

"What do we do?" I hissed. "Do we play dead?"

"Just back away slowly," Jacob whispered, taking a few steps and pushing me with him.

Then the coyote growled. It gnashed its teeth and I felt everything in my body ripple and morph in merely a few seconds. The adrenaline in my veins spiked; my heart pounded out of control. I later would realize it reminded me of my nightmares when I was sick, but that was not on my mind when my paws—yes, paws—hit the dirt and I began to bound forward.

In an instant, I ripped out the coyote's throat with my fangs and I remained circling around, panicked at my new height, new sensations and all of the overwhelming scents. Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and felt that change wash over me again. I stood again at my full height and shivered in the torn clothes that I had to cling onto in order to cover my lady bits.

Jacob stared at me, agape.

I asked, "What just happened?" and then the ground began to spin and the trees blurred until they became pitch black. The last thing I felt or saw was Jacob catching me in his arms as I freefell.

[X]

When at last I woke up, I was lying on the sofa in Jacob's house, the fire crackling in the hearth nearby. I stared at the ceiling for a moment and tried to suppress my nausea. Slowly, I moved and saw Billy sitting, head bowed. Jacob had his face buried in his hands.

I noticed I had a large men's jacket wrapped around me and my tattered clothes underneath it. It helped me feel less humiliated.

"What happened?" I croaked, rolling over to face Billy and Jacob head on.

Billy turned to me, fumbling for words. "You shifted. Was it the first time?"

"No," I said. "In my dreams I did… but…" _maybe those dreams were real_.

"This means many things," soberly said Billy, now turning to me. I sat up and my head spun. "I am going to tell you a story passed down through the generations…"


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

Alice and I stopped running in the middle of the woods. We took a swift and simple trek up the side of a mountain and stopped on the verge of a waterfall. It was a remarkable sight, beautiful, with cold slick rock beneath our feet and a crystalline pool wreathed in evergreen foliage.

"Good place to stop?" Alice asked. "We can make a picnic."

"I have a feeling no animals are stupid enough to stand on the edge of a waterfall."

"We are." Alice smiled. "Tell me about Spain and Italy."

"I'm not a fan of the weather."

"You know that wasn't what I meant."

"Fine. Only since Edward will tell you later. Mortals dug up the ground, exposing the coffin enough for that Angelique woman to dig Amunet up. She apparently had help from others of our kind which is alarming to say the least. Aro was not at all concerned. Then we went home."

"That's boring." Alice frowned.

"I know," I replied, starting to walk again.

We found three deer and Alice did not ask any further about Amunet.

[X]

The next day, I sat down beside Bella for art class and wondered why we never moved seats. Despite my reluctance to have anything to do with her, I knew it was because of my strong attraction to her, and that she wanted me back. It was more than sweet blood that tempted me to devour her that made her stand out; it was something about her that I found transfixing.

As quickly as I could, I turned my thoughts away from her. I did not need anyone. I was not open to the idea of romance, even when I caught sight of her eyes in the fleeting greyish sun.

When I first met her, they looked like a boring human brown I hardly noticed—except the proper protocol when trying not to rip out a human's throat is to look into their eyes and remember they are a sentient being—just muddy and ordinary. Then, as art classes passed, by the time she jumped in front of a car for me, I noticed they were a russet hue and that they had a perpetual gleam. Not a sparkle; they _glistened_. There was a difference. One day, I saw the sun hit them while she worked on her wolf mask, and I saw that they were deep, rich golden sunbeams radiating from a pitch black eclipse, wreathed in warmth. They were soft like fur most of the time, but when she focused hard enough, they were strong and cold like axinite.

When I noticed them, sometimes I thought about Alice sitting in my room reading trashy magazines and exclaiming in my direction, _'It says people with brown eyes are the best kissers!'_ and I scowled so bitterly at the incorrigible girl.

Bella began to look up and I quickly stopped staring at her mousy hair. She rose and grabbed a sharp tool to begin scoring her clay. Before she made a move, she studied the beginnings of a vase and made two incisions before wildly overshooting and cutting open a gash on her finger. She howled from pain and the class stopped to stare. I force myself not to breathe and froze in place, petrified by fear. I was beyond lucky that I hunted yesterday.

"Rosalie," said the art teacher, penetrated my panicked thoughts, "could you take her to the nurse please?"

I tried to think of a decent and plausible excuse but I was too nervous. My head spun as I stood up and tried not to look at the red splash on Bella's ivory skin.

Bella looked up, visibly sweating, and said through pained clenched teeth, "I can go myself, Mrs. Turner."

The art teacher shook her head. "That's a lot of blood. You might faint so I need to send somebody with you. School policy."

Bella shot me an apologetic glance as I led her from the room. It took everything in me to hold back. This was easily one of the hardest things I had ever done.

"I just hate the smell of it," said Bella, and I almost laughed.

"Of what?" I curiously asked, attempting to keep my eyes away from her hands.

"Blood." She wrinkled her nose. There was a freckle on it I never before noticed. "It smells like rust and salt."

I stared at her, wondering what kind of weird excuse for a mortal she was. While she may be a wolf, she still was a weird one.

As we walked, Bella kept looking down at her hand and it took me a second to realize why. Her wound was almost fully healed. It certainly no longer was spurting, to my relief.

"I'm just—uh—I'm—uh—I'm just going to duck into the bathroom for a minute," nervously said Bella, trying to conceal her bloody but unmarred hand.

"Wash up while you're in there," I coolly said, not about to let on that I knew her secret. It made have made her more comfortable, but it would be dangerous for both of us.

"I will," said Bella as she hastily entered the girl's room.

I closed my eyes. Crisis (narrowly) averted.

When Bella walked out of the bathroom, she looked surprised that I still stood there. Not at all subtly, she slid her previously wounded hand into her jean pocket.

"I guess I can let you go to the nurse alone," I said as nonchalantly as possible. I could smell how her hot blood surged from panic and I stopped breathing again. "My vase needs me."

"Thanks for walking me this far," awkwardly said Bella Swan.

I took one last look at those melted chocolate eyes before I smoothly strode on my Givenchy heels back to the art room.

Once I sat down, I forced a slouch and started breathing again. I could once more focus on my human disguise.

To my shock, I disliked class sans Bella.

[X]

It was the night of the Valentine's Dance. I shimmied into a dress I bought in the '50s that still had luster. It was lilac and puffy and perfect. The sharp angles at my shoulders were particularly beautiful. I complemented it with a necklace of pearls and matching earrings. My heels were creamy white and silky smooth with a touch of lace.

I did love getting dressed up.

Now, I sat in front of the mirror, Alice behind me in something quaint and pink and sparkly with a big black bow, as my sort of sister did my make-up.

"One day, I'll doll you up for your wedding," Alice said with a dreamy sigh, capping the mascara with a pop.

My eyes widened. "You didn't—you didn't _see_ that, did you?"

"Nope." Alice shrugged. "But I hope I will. You would be the most beautiful bride in history."

"I know."

"Will you dance with Bella?"

"I almost thought we forgot she existed," I lied.

"It would make me so happy if you gave her one dance."

"She has been very good at respecting my desire for space from her. Not to mention, I have no desire to lead her on."

"You wouldn't be leading her on. Everybody knows you're into her. I needled that truth out of Edward and so I _know_ you wish you had the opportunity to try. One dance."

"I don't…" I wanted to test those waters; I wanted to dip my toe in the pond without swimming. "I don't know if I'm ready to give my heart to someone else."

"You don't have to give her your heart. Just one dance… and then maybe the horizontal Monster Mash."

"Why do you pressure me like this? My love life is _my_ decision."

"I pressure you like a mama bird nudging her baby from the nest. You'll never fly if somebody doesn't give you a little push. Edward says you were thinking about kissing her the other day. Try it."

I decided to leave it up to fate and said, "If they play a song I deem worthy of a dance with _anyone_ in the world, then, yes, I will try."

Alice beamed, clearly proud of her matchmaking skills.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

Billy told the story of how the wolf shifters came to be as I sat there, rapt, stunned speechless and engrossed by every word. It was difficult to believe it to be more than a legend, but after what I felt and saw—my _paws_ in particular—I knew it was true. But then it hit me.

"I'm not Quileute. I mean, look at me." I gestured at my milky skin.

Billy suddenly looked sad—wistful even—with his eyes downcast. But Jacob wore an expression probably twice as puzzled as mine; it made me feel far less alone. Billy gazed deeply at the flames in the hearth before he turned to me.

At last, Billy said, "Before your mom met your dad and had you with him, she was my girlfriend. But, the idea of forever living on the reservation if we were to marry suffocated her. She liked to be free. She left with Charlie and I never blamed either of them. They were in love. But… I now see she may have gotten with your dad not because she was pregnant with his baby but because she was pregnant with mine."

Okay, now I had no idea what to think or say, even more so than before. Somehow, this news was more shocking an unsettling than finding out I was a wolf. My mind screamed nonstop, the thoughts flying so swiftly through my head that I could not catch nor identify a single one.

Thankfully, Jake spoke for me.

"She's my sister?" he exclaimed, once he took it in.

It was as if I had accidentally stepped into a soap opera, and my head hurt so badly that it felt like someone had smashed my sinuses in.

"Yes," said Billy. "I don't see another possibility.

I at last said, "Do you think my dad knows?"

"I don't think he does, and it's your choice whether or not you want to tell him."

Not. Definitely not. He was my dad for my whole life and I did not want that to change. Even if we didn't share genetics, he raised me and that was the important thing.

"I don't think I will," I decided aloud.

"That may be wise."

I tried to change the subject by asking, "Billy, are there… are there really… cold ones?"

"Yes," he said.

"What are they?"

"I guess most people would call them vampires."

" _Vampires_?"

"Vampires, and they are the only explanation for why our kind came to be."

I let that soak in for a few moments. If there were werewolves, I saw no reason why there could not be vampires.

I asked my third question. "What… what happens to the people I love? Are they in danger?"

"Wolves are natural protectors, not predators. They will be safe with you."

Then, the conversation took a sudden turn, on the topic of love, he explained imprinting to me. It was strange, one of the strangest things I had heard today. The entire time he spoke, I could think only of Rosalie.

It would explain so much.

"There… there is somebody I think… maybe that happened with," I remarked.

Billy said, "She is safest with you nearby."

I recalled crashing into that truck to protect her. Maybe. But then I remembered the way she looked at me in disgust when she got up and away from the accident.

If only she wanted me near her…

But maybe that was for the best if I kept randomly changing into a huge wolf. Maybe she was my imprint. Maybe. But she did not have to be my girlfriend. That was her decision and I would respect it no matter what.

"But," said Billy, "unless she becomes very serious with you, you cannot tell her or anyone else about our existence."

"I promise," I said.

[X]

I kept my promise in mind during my tennis practice on Monday, making sure not to be too supernaturally good. Jake cheered me on, at least.

Then, the next day, I could think of nothing but my promise not to reveal the wolves when I accidentally cut my finger while scoring clay. Rosalie already looked somewhere between repulsed and scared; I did not want to make it worse by letting her see how I healed at Wolverine's rate.

Once I ducked into the bathroom, leaving Rosalie behind, I scrubbed the blood off my hands and stared at my reflection. I could swear becoming a wolf changed my human form too. My eyes gained a strange look, like that of a predatory animal. And flecks of yellow definitely appeared in the boring old brown.

I no longer felt like Bella Swan. Part of that was good; part of it was bad. I lived in a constant state of confusion since shifting and it was beginning to wear on me, especially realizing how painful keeping a big secret feels.

It makes the chest ache. Always does.

This one, like any would, wore down on my heart.

Finally, I left the bathroom and found Rosalie standing there, much to my shock. I thought for certain she would have taken any opportunity to leave.

"I guess I can let you go to the nurse alone," said Rosalie. "My vase needs me."

"Thanks for walking me this far," I replied.

As soon as she vanished down the hall, I snuck back into the bathroom and hid in there until the bell rang. Promptly and eagerly, I strode into the hallway and walked to Spanish class.

This was all too much.

[X]

I stood at the Valentine's Dance, awkward in my new dress, surrounded by pink and red balloons with matching streamers. My back rested against the wall while I watched everyone have fun, sipping fruit punch with heart-shaped ice cubes.

Suddenly, Alice Cullen nimbly made her way through the crowd and stood in front of me.

She was probably going to request that I participate.

"Please ask my sister to dance," Alice begged, which was even scarier than I thought.

I shook my head. "She doesn't like me. I'd just be embarrassed."

Alice giggles and smiles knowingly. "Are you blind, Bella? She likes you so much; she just doesn't know how to process it. You can trust me. I'll request her favorite song and you'll ask her to dance on my cue." Alice bat her eyelashes and I could not say no.

"Alright. I guess I can ask her." _And humiliate myself_ , I mentally added.

Alice beamed and she scuttled off to the DJ. When she returned, she gave me a look, just as Rosalie's apparent favorite song began to play.

It was "La Vie En Rose" in its original French. The recording crackled from age. She had strange but wonderful taste.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress as I walked towards her. The song was old and gorgeous and out of place at a dance that was to the tune of sexy contemporary tunes. I wondered what Alice said to coerce the DJ into playing it. She clearly was an excellent matchmaker; or so I hoped with all of my heart.

"Will you dance with me?" I nervously inquired, shifting my weight from foot to foot. "I just like this song and Alice said you liked it to and you can say no and I shouldn't have asked I'm sorry—"

"I will dance with you," Rosalie agreed and my heart fluttered. She took my hand and we walked onto the smooth dance floor. Her skin was as cold as ice, but I did not register what that could mean at first.

We spun and spun and I felt weightless.

More songs passed. Fast ones, slow ones, we did not care because we revolved in our own world, separate from everything else.

And when we suddenly stopped, it felt like the Universe collapsed and left me in the stark white of nothingness.

"Is something wrong?" I nervously asked and she shook her head.

"I know what you are," Rosalie whispered, as if she had been holding those words in her heart for a million years and only just now set them free.

"What do you mean?" I began to panic, because I truly had no clue what she meant.

"You're a wolf. A werewolf," she said, and I realized I was not nearly scared enough. "It's okay; your secret is safe with me. But I want to know how someone as pasty as you could be a Quileute."

"Isn't that kind of private?"

"I suppose."

"How did you know?"

Rosalie smirked and I blushed. "Isn't that kind of private?"

"Shouldn't you be scared of me?"

"Honey," Rosalie said in a faux sweet tone, "I eat werewolves like you for breakfast."

"Then… do you know about imprints?"

"Do I know about what?"

"Never mind."

"Well, now you _must_ tell me."

I realized I dug my own grave and I wanted to run outside and live as a hermit for the rest of my life.

"It'd freak you out." I truly hoped that would deter her.

Instead, she flashed that insanely flawless smile. "I assure you, habits of allegedly mythical creatures do not usually repulse me."

I took a few deep breaths and forced myself to explain. "An imprint is a thing the shifters do where they see a person and—it's almost like soulmates or love at first sight but not exactly that way—and they would do absolutely anything that person ever wanted in the Universe because they're… destined or something."

"And I care why?"

"Because that's why I've been bothering you so much. I'm really sorry. It's a weird wolf imperative."

Rosalie stopped dancing. "You did that to _me_?"

I frantically stammered, nauseated, "Not on purpose. It's not a choice."

"Maybe we should go for a walk," Rosalie offered and I nodded.

We snuck out of the gymnasium and reached the locked door. Rosalie removed from a pin from her hair and impressed me yet again.

She picked the lock, to my amazement.

I asked, "How did you learn that?"

"Too much free time," she replied, and we walked through the building.

It was dark and empty. The atmosphere was eerie and forlorn; the place usually bustled with people scuttling to classes and having loud discussions, laughing, the squelching of rainboots. Even if the sun almost never shone through the windows, the fluorescent lights were off and only the moon provided illumination.

The total population felt like a negative number, even if Rosalie and I were inside.

All the students and teachers were so conspicuously absent that they glowed like neon signs.

We walked for a while, in total silence, haunting the hallways like ghosts. I told myself I would not be afraid and I would walk by her for as long as I needed. Something grew stronger and stronger inside of me the more we walked together.

As we stopped in front of a window overlooking the dark blue, sprawling evergreen forest, I turned to her and tried to gather my courage.

"I think I know what you are too," I nervously said.

"And what would that be?"

 _A cold one_ , I was going to say, but I then realized how stupid that was. I would sound like a lunatic to my imprint if I was wrong, and if I was right she might kill me. Even if I _had_ to believe in werewolves, maybe I did not believe in vampires. My wolf side was definitely not under enough control yet to defend myself and my human form probably would not fare well.

I said the only thing I could think of, the only other observation about Rosalie I had. "A person who pretends not to have a heart to protect herself from getting hurt."

Rosalie stared at me for a long while. I worried she could hear my heart beating. It felt like a hammer against my chest.

She then leaned in and for a split second I had a vision of her sinking her teeth into my throat. But she did not have fangs, she did not have red eyes; she was _not_ a vampire. A wolf would not imprint on a vampire, now would they?

But Rosalie did something that frightened me even more.

She gave me my first kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_** _I changed the title to better fit the story, and because I felt the title_ _By Moonlight_ _was both cliché and unrelated to the plot of the story. Anyway, thank you for reading, waiting so long for this update, and I hope you're enjoying the show._

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

After the Valentine's Dance, I stood in front of one of the numerous bathroom mirrors, Alice beside me humming to herself.

While I removed my make-up beside my adoptive sister, I decided to admit forthright, "I kissed her. It was impulsive."

Alice made an eager squealing sound. I crumpled the wipes in my hand and tossed them agilely into the antique white trash can. Why was I honest? I should have kept my brief relations with Bella Swan a permanent secret from all but Edward. Perhaps he would tell Alice regardless, and I was only shortening my suffering.

"But you're not impulsive," Alice said with a sly smile. She looked like a frog that caught a particularly juicy fly. "You're the coldest person I've ever met, so, I mean, you're into her and you're a liar and I love it."

I forced myself not to sigh, forced myself not to show any signs of defeat despite feeling it coursing through my entire icy body. "Okay. Maybe I'm into Bella, but it obviously can't be since she's a wolf, whether or not she… _imprinted_ on me or not."

Alice giggled, eyes briefly bulging. "Like… like the baby dinosaurs in Jurassic Park? What does that even _mean_? Ooo! Is it a sex thing?"

Furiously, I muttered, "No. It's some weird _wolf thing_ , and is very gross, so I will politely decline your invitation to date Bella Swan."

"Why do you keep fighting it? It's so silly!" Alice tossed her make-up wipes into the trash and melodramatically threw her arms up. She inflicted pure torture upon me.

"First I thought she was a human. Now I know she's a mortal enemy of the vampire race. Those _wolves_ are designed to _kill vampires_. I'm not going to date Van Helsing. Oh, not to mention the cherry on top; she's a singer!"

Alice giggled and chimed, "Van _Bell_ sing."

I sharply sighed. It was honestly remarkable what I would tolerate from those I called family.

"She isn't right for me. I barely know her, and for countless reasons it would be an insane love affair," I stated, assured in my beliefs.

Alice waved her hand dismissively.

"All love affairs are insane," she said airily, eyelashes fluttering. "You don't get to choose with these things—with romance—it's all random I bet. They just happen and you get caught up in the storm."

I paused for a moment, unwillingly plunging deep into thought. Images of Bella Swan played like a slideshow, flashing through my mind. None of them added up to the grand romance Alice imagined for us.

All I could say was, "When you put it that way, it sounds so chaotic. I hate chaotic."

With a lofty sigh, Alice commented, "And maybe that's why you've never been in love before."

"It would be quite a stretch to say I am in love with Bella—"

Alice interrupted, "Van Bellsing."

"To say that I am in love with _Bella_ , just because I gave her one kiss." I shook my head.

"I can't think of a time I heard about you kissing somebody. That means something. Plus, my vision of you confessing your love for her! Come _on_!" Alice clenched her small fists and rose up on her tip-toes. If she was going for intimidating, it did not work.

I hated every second of this. "Listen to me, Alice. I chose to avoid romantic entanglements and I'm happy with that decision."

"Are you, though? You must get lonely."

"I don't. I like my own company very much." That was true.

"Invite her hiking."

"Then eat her?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Alice giggled again. " _No_. Take her to that waterfall we found the other day. It's so pretty."

"My answer is no, and that is final. Please stop trying to pressure me," I coldly said, and I hastily walked away.

I could hear Alice groan from the other end of the hallway.

[X]

The next morning, Carlisle tentatively approached while I was watching _Cleopatra_ for the eight thousandth time. He smoothly sat across from me in the living room on the pristine white furniture.

"I was hoping I could talk to you."

Hastily, I paused the film and politely inquired, "About what?"

"It's about Bella Swan and possible… a possible cross-species liaison."

"Cr-cross-species liaison?" I stammered out. He must be kidding me.

Gently, Carlisle waved his hand as he explained, "I searched for better words than that but it was the best I could come up with."

"Oh," was all I could manage to say. Then I cobbled together a few words. "I don't think it will come to that. I only kissed her. Wait—who told you I kissed her? Alice?"

"Edward. He was concerned," calmly said Carlisle.

 _Note to self: murder Edward Cullen,_ I thought.

"There are many things to keep in mind," said Carlisle. I wanted to cringe. Was this some perversion of the sex talk? That was the last thing I needed.

"Please don't do this," I begged.

"In all the noir movies you love, have you ever heard the phrase _Cherchez la Femme_?"

"Look for the woman," I replied, already confused. "It seems a bit sexist and outdated."

"That's not precisely what I mean. I want to say that love is the most dangerous thing in a world of… monsters. I suppose I could call us that, call her that, in a casual fashion."

"I don't know why I have to say this so often, but I'm not in love with Bella."

"Do you know how we caught Amunet in the end?"

I whispered, "How?"

"Aro—Aro endangered Angelique—and Amunet ended up buried alive for centuries over the love of a mate. And it isn't just you slipping up. If she did… the wolves are dangerous. She could accidentally tear you apart. I know you're used to being invincible…" He trailed off, as if discarding the end of his planned monologue.

I tried to laugh, but perhaps I took him more seriously than I wanted to. "You're worried the vampire slaying werewolf will kill me if I kiss her once? Or are you worried that I'll rip her throat out?"

Carlisle explained in a remarkably level tone, "A little of both. I won't stop you from pursuing her; that isn't my place. But I want you to think about—"

"I'm not weak enough for love."

Carlisle sternly said with a fierce look in his eyes, "The weak would never fall in love, Rose. Love is only for the strongest people."

"I respectfully disagree," was all I could say. I would not stand down.

Carlisle ignored my cold comment and continued, "I know you're teenagers. Just be careful, and if you need my opinion as a doctor—"

My perfectly sculpted eyebrows shot up. "Please, _please_ stop there."

He gave me a brief smile and left the room as quickly and quietly as he came.

I tried to focus on the film but could not. The conversation played in my head on repeat as I tried to process every facet of what was slowly happening with Bella Swan.

Oddly enough, this conversation solidified the situation for me. I pulled out my phone, scrolled through names, conversations, endless messages I left unanswered, and found Bella's contact.

I texted, _Care to go hiking with me tomorrow?_

She could not have possibly replied quicker, even if she had vampiric reflexes.

 _I'd love to! What time?_

[X]

On Sunday morning, I strode downstairs to find the entire family gathered around the television. I smoothed my shirt and stood before them.

"I am going on a date with Van Bellsing," I said, surrendering to the nickname my siblings so affectionately latched onto.

Alice grinned as if it were Christmas morning. Edward gave a slight, noncommittal shrug. Tanya seemed as impartial as her mate.

Emmett gave me a thumbs-up and requested, "Take pictures."

I shot him a golden glare.

This was my family.

I inexplicably loved them with all of my ice-cold heart.

[X]

When I arrived at Chief Swan's home, I saw my date waiting for me on the porch. Bella was dressed rather improperly in my opinion, wearing jeans, filthy converse sneakers and a flannel shirt. They did not at all match my yoga pants, jacket, hiking boots and expertly coordinated top. Of course, by this point I knew I should expect that coming from someone with such _lacking_ fashion sense, but I made a few observations and then a decision.

"You don't go hiking much, do you?" I asked, corner of my lip twitching.

"I, uh, no…" Bella rubbed her neck, staring at me.

All I did was tighten my flannel shirt wrapped around my waist and beckon for her to follow. She scampered after me, still so clunky on her feet—still so much like a human when I knew she was a wolf. Were they not supposed to be nimble predators?

At best, I could see her as a wereduck.

"Get in," I ordered, slipping into the driver's seat of my car.

Bella obeyed like a good, sweet girl and sat beside me. She strapped on her seatbelt. It was amusing to think that neither of us needed one, yet I always latched my own.

"Were you ever a model?" Bella asked as I pulled out of her driveway.

I laughed. She blushed.

"Is that supposed to be a pick-up line or something?"

"No. I was just curious. You look like one."

"Perhaps for a short burst a long time ago," I said honestly, leaving out a few key details involving vampirism. "I was thinking we could go to this cute little waterfall I found. Can you swim? I imagine it's a doggy-paddle."

"I can swim," said a reddened Bella.

"Good." I shot her a smile, hoping to loosen her up a little. Perhaps I was not as adept at dating as I wanted to believe. It was my first since I turned, after all. "It's a really magical place but I don't want to be responsible for you drowning."

"Gee, thanks, Rose," said Bella.

I teased, "Was that sarcasm?"

Bella gulped and nervously replied, "I, uh… yeah…"

She looked like she wanted to disappear and I felt a pang of remorse.

"It was endearing," I said, hoping that would help. My date did brighten up a bit, thankfully.

"So, where are we going?" Bella sweetly and softly inquired, studying me intently.

"Somewhere beautiful," I said, twisting the knob to turn on the radio.

Bella smiled languidly as classic rock accompanied our drive towards the forest.

[X]

It took me little time to relocate the waterfall. Bella and I engaged in rather easy and flowing small talk while we marched through the woods side by side. We approached the waterfall from the top and Bella looked unsure of herself. Yet, she made it to the top of the cliff and gazed down with me at the tops of the emerald evergreen trees.

"You were right when you said somewhere beautiful," Bella remarked, as I expected.

"I am rarely wrong." I winked at her and she inhaled sharply. For a moment, I tried to remember what it was like to breathe involuntarily. I could not.

"I expect you to jump in with me," I said, edging towards the verge. Bella remained behind, rubbing her arm. "The water is deep, I promise."

"It's still a good way to kill me."

"If I wanted to kill you, you would know."

"Sometimes I wonder."

I smiled and turned to her, extending a hand.

"Want me to carry you, Miss Badass Werewolf?"

Bella blushed. I tensed every muscle in my body to avoid breathing in the scent of her blood too deeply. She walked forward and stood with me.

"Yeah."

It was not the answer I anticipated, but I took her anyway. In one move, I swept her up into my arms and took a running jump. She screamed bloody murder until we plunged into the water.

The pool hit me like lightning, even if the cold did not affect me. Sheer force felt like it might crush my bones. Bella kicked away from me and inhaled deeply and desperately at the surface. I swam up and knew precisely how magnificent I must look as I reentered the world.

Birds sang above and I noticed their chirps for the first time today.

Still slightly sputtering, Bella swam to me. I waited, motionless save for lightly treading to keep myself afloat. She moved so close to me that my mind flashed with visions of ripping out her jugular and letting her sweet, delicious blood splash over me.

I started to edge back but she took my hand and pulled me closer. Hastily, I shoved the unwelcome fantasies to the back of my mind and dragged her closer to the shallows. I touched my toes to the pebbles, barely able to feel them through my expensive hiking boots.

Beneath the frigid water, my fingers lightly traced up her muscular waist. I seized her and held her there, her feet balancing agilely atop my knees. Bella squeezed her eyes shut, looking so human, and I eyed her curiously.

I tried to remember a time I was so overwhelmed that I just had to shut the world out. I could not. Was I truly human that _long_ ago?

"Can I kiss you?" Bella asked as I pulled my fingers away and let her settle, standing.

"Later. If you're good." I smiled and waded out of the water.

Bella followed, drenched, dripping, a bit clumsy even for a strong wolf. I turned to her and patted a boulder. We both sat down.

"It's pretty from here too," said Bella.

"I know," I purred.

Silence.

"I was wondering something," said Bella, nervously wringing her trembling hands. I tried not to look too closely at her purplish veins. We locked eyes. "At the bonfires we have in La Push and… other times too, we… the wolves… we talk about cold ones."

My eyelashes fluttered. "Cold ones?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Vampires," softly said Bella. "And if wolves are real… why wouldn't they be too?"

I began to panic against my best interests. "I suppose humans have depicted vampires in their legends for thousands of years. Perhaps they—"

"When I told Billy who I imprinted on, he…" Bella trailed off and gazed at a mossy tree for a few moments. "He said you were… and I know it seems silly but… he said you and your family…"

She gave me a pleading look, but I could do nothing. Of course, the wolves would know. How could I expect her to evade curiosity and their ire? I immediately thought of the Volturi, and the consequences of telling Bella the truth.

I said, "If you don't… if you don't say what you're thinking I certainly cannot answer."

Bella whispered, "You're a vampire, aren't you?"

I hesitated. It would be wise to deny the claim. Yet, I knew a loophole was likely when it came to the Quileutes. They were creatures meant to be kept secret too.

Therefore, trying not to fear the Volturi, I replied, "Yes. Not the human-eating kind, though. We only drink the blood of animals."

She stared at me in both awe and acceptance. I entertained the piercing gaze because I remembered what it was like to wake in a world in which legends were true.

"That's… that's kind of cool," said Bella. I cocked an eyebrow in response. "I—I mean a vampire and a—a werewolf, right?"

Irately, I snapped, "It is not _kind of cool_. We are opposing forces. Your kind was born to destroy my kind. Did they not teach you that?"

"Yeah. Opposing forces…" Bella trailed off, her cheeks flushed.

I studied her closely. She did look beautiful in this light, but not as beautiful as me. I breathed her in a little too much by mistake. Her blood sang the sweetest cries of a siren on choppy seas and I felt I would be willing to drown and crush my bones against salty slick rocks to drink her blood.

It prompted my insanity, my risky next action.

"You see, how many times could we even touch before one of us slips up?" I asked, locking eyes with the wolf. I took her feverish hand in mine, a clash of ice and fire. "Once?" And I touched one of her fingers to my lips, tempting myself too dangerously. "Twice?" And another kiss, a slight slip into my mouth. "Third time's the charm?" I brought myself too close to sucking on her third fingertip and released her hand. She set it on her lap.

Bella shivered, and I doubted it was from the cold. She feared me, whether she was born to destroy vampires or not.

"It's—it's worth the risk to me, not that I have much of a choice in it."

"A shame that your kind doesn't get to choose who you love."

"I don't think anybody does."

"It may be," I said. "Well, perhaps you should get acquainted with my lovely vampiric features. Do you want to see why we can't go in the sun?" I asked, and Bella nodded.

Airily, I strode towards the sunlight. It glistened on the water, but as I turned and let the light bathe me, Bella's jaw dropped. I knew I sparkled more than the waves behind me did.

"Woah," was her highly eloquent response.

"I know." I walked back to her and stood. She remained seated, gazing up at me like I was an angel. Not a beautiful creature to lust over, like most humans saw me. Like I was a true, honest angel. Maybe that felt good.

"Us monsters are full of surprises, huh?" Bella said. "The other day I found out…"

I thought my pursed lips might be the reason she shut up about whatever werewolf adventure she had. Perhaps I should have apologized and prompted her to tell me, but I did not know what words to use. They were not me.

Yet, I said, "I don't know if it's _us monsters_ , precisely. I've only realized it today, but we're both more human than monster."

"Why?"

"Because a wolf must think of her pack first, and a vampire must think of her coven first. We have a thousand years—a set of instincts—and they make us that Halloween version of selfless. But this—this relationship, if we can call it that—it's selfish."

"I don't…"

" _Bella_ , the thing about being human is that you can only think about yourself. Is that not what we are doing right now?"

"Maybe," murmured Bella Swan. I hoped I struck a chord in her maze of a mind. "I never thought a lot about myself. I always had to take care of my mom, and now my dad and I know that's not how it's supposed to work, but it's how it's always been. I think this might be the first selfish thing I've ever done."

"I don't know—save for your little wolf imprint—why we're interested in each other. I think I might be attracted to the danger. Or maybe how you look at me."

"Uh…" Bella's expression was blank.

I continued, "Beyond that, I am honestly baffled by why I find you so attractive. I've seen spiderwebs with more volume than your hair."

Bella laughed, despite the insult.

"At least I don't _sparkle_ ," said Bella.

Playfully, I snapped, "Hey! My diamond skin is _sexy_."

Bella lifted her shirt to just beneath her breasts without hesitation, revealing chiseled lean muscle straining against her ivory skin. "So are my new abs."

With a small smile, I remarked, "I like this confidence. It's refreshing."

"I like you. You're, uh…" She trailed off with that familiar moonstruck gleam in her smoldering russet eyes. I ate it up.

At last, after letting her sweat for a moment, I purred, "Refreshing?"

"You're you. That's… all I've got." Bella shrugged and gazed off into the tree line. "I don't really know if it's good enough."

"I would call that good enough," I said in utter earnest.

Bella slightly smiled as we gazed at the crystalline waterfall.

After a long silence, I made a choice. It was not an easy one.

"Bella?" I placidly inquired.

She perked up, shoulders straightening in a solitary jolt. "Yeah?"

"I would very much like to watch the sunset with you this evening," I said, keeping my eyes away from her and my feet turned away. I could not afford to seem too interested.

"Really?" Bella breathlessly asked, eyes wide.

"Your house would be preferable, if I am not intruding," I stated coolly, clasping my hands on my lap.

"I'd love that!" Bella eagerly replied.

I faintly smiled, but erased the expression from my face the moment I noticed it.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

On Saturday, the morning after the Valentine's Dance, I headed down to La Push again. Billy promised to tell me the origin story of the Quileute wolves, and said he had something important to tell me. I eagerly seized the opportunity to escape Forks for a little while.

"Somebody's on Cloud Nine," commented Jacob the moment I hopped out of my truck onto his gravel driveway. "Was your dance actually fun or something?"

"She kissed me," I admitted, unable to suppress my dreamy smile. "Rosalie Hale kissed me."

Jacob smirked and I blushed twice as furiously.

"What did it feel like?" he asked.

I answered honestly, "I felt like I was cuddled by a thousand kittens."

That made him burst into laughter and I wanted to vanish into thin air. I am accomplished at a few things—sudden athletic prowess, for example—but avoiding embarrassing myself was not one of them. Not even close.

I did not make it much further up the driveway before Billy stopped me. Small talk never came easy to me, and it certainly did not when it came to my apparent real father. At least he seemed to have something important to say.

Billy gestured at the tan, muscular young man hovering on the porch with Jacob. "This is Sam Uley. You two probably have a bit to talk about."

"I think we met at the beach a while back." Pause. "A bit to talk about?"

Billy bluntly explained, "He phased two days ago."

"He—he—uh—like me?" I stammered out before taking a deep breath and trying again. "Sorry, sorry, uh, he's like me?"

"He's only the first. There will be more," said Billy, seeming neither happy nor sad.

Suddenly, it hit me like a truck going full speed on the highway. Why did I never think about my half-brother until this moment? I felt like a dreadful older sister, but, then again, I was only just getting used to being one. It barely sunk in yet.

"Jake too?" I inquired under my breath, my eyes averted.

Billy somberly nodded. "Or so I expect. There now, with a pack partially formed, is the matter of the alpha, however."

"The what?" I began to think that the wolf lessons would never end, and I felt like an idiot in this strange new world.

"The leader of the pack," said Billy.

"Sam is leader?"

"You should be."

" _I_ should be?" That was a freaking shock. Why did people never tell me these important details?

"You are the oldest descendant of Ephraim Black. It would've been Jacob if you didn't phase."

"Maybe it should still be Jake. He knows everybody here better than I do."

"Once he phases, you'll have opportunity to hand it over to him if you choose. For now, we need you to walk each member of the pack through phasing, to lead them. They need it."

I glanced over at Sam Uley. He looked like he could take care of himself. I did not know why they needed me to lead them.

"I, well, I guess you can't make responsibilities go away by ignoring them," I said, knowing how much I wished they would. I adjusted my raincoat before walking over to Sam.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he replied, sounding surprisingly kind. He always looked intimidating to me. "I guess you're a wolf too, or something."

"What's your story?" I asked.

"I was pretty confused by the whole thing. Old Quil felt my damn handshake and figured it out from the fever. So, now I'm a wolf."

"I was also pretty confused." I shifted my weight awkwardly from foot to foot. "It's weird, huh?"

"Yup." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm supposed to walk you through everything. I'm supposed to be the alpha, or something."

His eyes flashed. I fought the urge to recoil.

"Nobody said anything about an _alpha_."

"Billy just told me," I softly said. "He said that his descendants were supposed to be in charge of the wolf pack. We're not going to be the only two, y'know and—"

Sam gruffly stated with smoldering eyes, "You're an outsider, and if you think anybody here is gonna follow you, you're wrong."

I heard two options in my head. The first was to admit he had a point and ask for help. That was what Old Bella would have done. New Kissed-by-Rosalie-Hale-and-a-Wolf-Alpha Bella had other plans in mind. I leaned in, resenting how much shorter than him I was.

"You're going to follow me whether you like it or not. I was born a wolf just like you, if not tougher, and even if I was raised off the reservation, I'm the alpha and you're going to shove it and deal with the way things work like a grown man. If you want to fight me for it, feel free. I'm waiting."

Sam scowled. "We'll see," he grunted.

I did not have another ounce of intimidation in me, so I just nodded, wishing my fever would fade for once. It honestly made embarrassment much more uncomfortable.

He strode away and headed to the backyard with Billy. I turned to Jake, whom looked like he was about to burst.

"What?" I asked.

"That was kinda badass. I didn't know you had that in you."

I turned up a palm and shrugged. "I didn't either. But he probably had a point. I bet the wolves… I doubt they're gonna want to follow me."

"Hey, stranger things have happened. Didn't you just tell me that an incredibly hot chick kissed you? _You_. Bella Swan."

"Ha ha." I invited myself inside.

Jacob followed, smugly snickering.

[X]

We sat down to dinner and I felt a twinge of nerves when Sam Uley joined us. He avoided eye contact with me, for which I found myself grateful. Jake looked amused by it.

"Bella has some news," said Jacob and I blanched. "Her imprint finally kissed her."

I blushed and bowed my head.

Billy politely inquired, "I never asked who your imprint was. Do I know her?"

"Rosalie. Rosalie Hale." I could not help but say her name in reverie.

My biological father's dark eyes widened in shock; mine narrowed in confusion.

"Bella," sternly said Billy, capturing my complete attention. "Do you remember when I told the story of the cold ones, and how the wolves were born to defeat them? The Cullens are cold ones."

"The…" I tried not to laugh; it seemed so absurd. "The Cullens are _vampires_? That can't be."

"Even humans have told stories of them for millennia. Why would you not believe?"

"Because—because it's _crazy_. Am I supposed to believe every myth is real now?"

"Why would you not? I grew up immersed in magic when no one else was. At your age, I hoped I would run into a cold one and get to use my powers. You're a vampire slayer, like me, like my father. If you don't believe in them, you won't be a good one."

I stood there, mute for several lengthy seconds. At last, I asked, "But she's my imprint. How could I be supposed to protect her and slay her at the same time?"

Billy shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know, but I want to find out."

On that we could agree.

[X]

After the beautiful morning by the waterfall, it happened. Something amazing happened.

My vampiress beau, Rosalie Hale, asked to meet me at my house in the evening, and she dropped me off before heading home to properly dress herself for this second occasion.

I panicked the minute her shimmering car rounded the corner and slipped out of sight.

Faster than I had moved in some time, I ran upstairs and started digging through my closet. I _must_ have an outfit that would look good in Rosalie's eyes. Once I found something, I stared in the mirror and felt good about myself for about two seconds.

I then remembered what _she_ looked like.

Maybe if I did something with my hair. It was still damp and messy from the waterfall and woods. I headed into the bathroom and started poking at it. I swept it into a side ponytail that I thought looked quite good for about two seconds.

I then remembered what _she_ looked like.

My cheeks flushed and I felt even hotter than I usually do. Panic surged through my veins as I frantically tried to get ready for my second date with Rosalie Hale. It needed to be perfect.

I yanked open one of my chipped bathroom drawers and extracted what little make-up I had. While I doubted I could put it on like an expert, I certainly knew how, and I ended up with some mascara and lipstick and it did wonders for my confidence.

While I never could be as beautiful as her, at least I felt less unprepared.

Yet, an ounce of extra confidence did nothing for my nerves.

[X]

A few hours later, I was on Part II of my date with Rosalie Hale, and it was sublime so far.

It astounded me how I looked at her and looked at my surroundings. The world suddenly had more clarity and I saw things in fragmented but vibrant images. They mostly flowed together smoothly but at times became choppy and wild. I saw her in the most beautiful pictures that felt like witnessing colors I had never before seen.

The sharpest image right now was that of the lipstick stains on my Capri-Sun straw. Damn; that was why I never wore the stuff. Too messy for an already disastrous girl. Dark pink, still shimmering on the ugly yellow plastic. It tasted like the kiss I shared with Rosalie. My first kiss ever.

Rosalie reclined on my porch like a glorious, glamorous creature, a Queen of Saigon with her exotic lace fan she used only for effect and her careless expression. She stayed out of the sparse sun. It was a dark rainy day, like almost always in Forks.

I summoned my mediocre courage and spoke my mind to the heavenly creature beside me.

"So, are we… are we a couple?" I asked anxiously, twisting and jabbing the straw as I spoke.

My nervous tick betrayed me; the straw suddenly punctured the sleek plastic pouch and sticky sweet strawberry-kiwi splashed onto my skin and clothes like a solar flare. I gasped; Rosalie laughed. It sounded like windchimes.

"Let me clean you up," she offered, smoothly rising, blonde hair swishing like a fairy tale princess, molten golden eyes glowing like a kitten in the dark and she grabbed me with smooth, ice cold lily-white hands. "Do you have a garden hose?"

"Probably. I just moved in," I replied as she pulled me to my feet.

"Stay still," said Rosalie, and she dove down from my porch.

When she returned, she carried a weathered emerald green hose. This looked bad. I began to panic, but she seemed so calm that I could not help but simply accept my terrifying fate.

At this point, the juice soaked into my jeans and lapped at my bony, pallid feet. I stood paralyzed by embarrassment and fear.

She sprayed me and I screamed. Rosalie laughed while I shuddered, yelped and bounced up and down. When she was done, there were mascara stains on my hollow ruddy face. Charcoal black, meandering freely, ice water making me shiver.

We stood laughing on that porch like children playing in a sprinkler in those old days before cold electric screens imprinted on hungry, addicted eyes.

I emerged from the water at long last and let her look at the fake happy tears on my face, accidentally baring my soul for the first time in a lifetime.

The heat radiating from my perpetually feverish body quickly dried my damp arms. I gazed at them in the dim spring light in brief awe. It looked stranger than after a shower.

Rosalie stared. She looked unnerved.

I anxiously asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," said Rosalie, waving her hand dismissively. "I just think we've… we've opened up a little more than I'd like. More than I usually do with other people."

I furrowed my brow, yet again perplexed by her. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"Um… I don't know. I think this conversation would be best held at another time. You and I have a little ways to go before we can get… gushy or speak of anything too serious and sentimental," said Rosalie, and I could not disobey her to save my life. Maybe it was the imprint; maybe I was merely nervous about my first ever romantic interest.

Breaking the tension, she sprayed me with the hose again and I jumped.

The water soaked into my flannel shirt and clung to my uneven, imperfect slender waist. I took a step forward and slid halfway across the porch in a panic. I nimbly grabbed onto the rail and held myself in place, but I could not help the embarrassment.

She laughed, perfect white teeth exposed, and I looked for fangs before she closes her lips again, her molten golden eyes glowing like a madwoman released in the night and she dragged me to the hammock beneath the darkest shadows from the looming evergreen trees. We sat side by side, toes pressed hard against the stoic ground as we in flawless unison rocked the uneasy net back and forth like a cloth swing-set.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked for the second time today.

Rosalie remained silent for some time. "Just this once."

I leaned forward and tried to press my lips against hers, but with my eyes squeezed shut, I missed and my mouth landed on her nose. She burst out laughing and I recoiled. At least she was lovely outrageously happy like that.

"I—sorry." I wanted to fade into nothingness.

"That was kind of cute," said Rosalie. "How sickening." Pause. "Do it again."

I pressed my lips on the bridge of her nose again, and could not suppress my own laughter.

We remained there, holding a surprisingly ordinary conversation for two mythical monsters.

The sunset tonight was beautiful, but not as beautiful as my imprint.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

I felt as if I were floating when I returned home from my date. Long after sunset, I bid Bella goodbye and drove home, humming the sweet tune she played for me twice. The sensation within me was indescribable; I felt that nothing could ever hurt me again.

All was well.

 _Yes_.

That was the name of this feeling.

All was well.

I caught myself humming and stopped as I walked to the illuminated porch. Licking my lips, I adjusted my hair and froze over my composure before I walked inside.

Unsurprisingly, my siblings and Esme all waited, just _quivering_ with anticipation.

"Alice!" called out Edward. "Is this your big moment?"

My sister glided into the forefront of the room and shook her head. "Not yet. Rose doesn't fall in love easily. Or at least _admit it_ easily."

Edward argued, "She's never thought about anyone the way she thinks about Bella."

"Yeah, like _what_?" I snapped.

Edward smirked when he said, "For example, you think her hair smells amazing and her lips are soft as silk."

"Get out of my head!" I began to storm away but Esme gently grabbed my arm and squeezed it.

"Please stay. We want to hear about your date. It's the first one you've ever been on as a vampire," she said softly, smiling. "He's just teasing you."

"I know he's teasing me. That's why I'm leaving." But I sighed at what I saw in her eyes. This came from love, as much as I despised it.

Alice looked innocent enough when she inquired, "Did you have fun?"

"Yes," I snapped, and I turned around. "It was lovely. We went swimming at the waterfall and watched the sunset. She kissed me on the nose by accident. I intend to ask her out again."

"She's so in love with you. It's so obvious," gushed Alice, clasping her hands dramatically over her heart.

I reluctantly admitted, "I have to agree after today. She's willing to risk very much just to be by my side. Many people have, of course, but not like this."

Edward said, "She loves a vampire. That's impressive."

"If she's so _impressive_ , perhaps _you_ would like to date her." That earned me a glare from Tanya but I honestly could not care less. "Might I mention she _also_ is a—a—a creature of the night and so it isn't exactly _admirable_. She's just as weird as I am."

Alice piped up from the sofa, "See, _there_ we're touching on something. A match made in Heaven. Two weirdos in love. It's perfect."

Were I not a vampire, I was certain I would be blushing right now; the embarrassment felt like it permeated every fiber of my being.

I settled on saying, "Oh, shut up."

Emmett spoke for the first time. "Did you take pictures?"

"You _especially_ shut up." I faintly smiled.

It ended the conversation, at least.

[X]

That night, Emmett sat beside me on the pristine sofa. He was watching _Suicide Squad_ for the trillionth time. I remained intently focused on a Special Issue of _Vogue_ featuring Meryl Streep. We spent our nights like this rather often.

Despite a few crude jokes, Emmett did not bother me about Bella. I deeply appreciated that about him; he was certainly my favorite sibling.

Carlisle stepped through the door—he took numerous late shifts at the hospital—and Emmett paused the movie in the middle of an intense fight scene.

"Rose," said Carlisle, stepping in front of the television. "How was your date with Bella?"

I remained silent for some time, uncertain how to reply.

"It was good. I liked it. I liked it a lot," I admitted, intently studying my hands to avoid making any eye contact.

Carlisle shot a glance at Emmett for a moment, before turning his attention back to me. "Good. I'm glad you had fun. Did you two…?"

I sweetly replied, setting down my magazine. "Did we do anything? Not really. We hiked and swam and played in her backyard like dumb kids. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Carlisle offered a small smile. "I do feel like you're my daughter. I admit this strikes a brand new parental nerve I've discovered. Yet, the interspecies…"

"My freaky—oh, Alice called it something good—she called it—oh!—right, she called it the Horizontal Monster Mash." I smirked. Emmett choked on a laugh he attempted to suppress.

"There's nothing innately wrong about your match." Carlisle rested his briefcase on the coffee table and sat down across from me. "I'm more worried about you biting her."

Irritably, I retorted, "I have self-control."

Carlisle calmly shook his head and proceeded to explain, "In a heated situation, when her blood smells _far_ different to you than to everyone else… if you bit a Quileute shifter, we would have gone beyond breaking the treaty."

"I won't break the treaty. I won't," I insisted without hesitation. "And I won't make the wolves angry in any other way either."

"You've probably already made them angry by sparking a relationship with one of their own."

" _Bella_ is the one who did her gross imprint thing on _me_. I'm humoring her. The wolf. It is not my fault and I refuse to let them blame this on me."

"Just… use caution. I worry."

I said with grand conviction, "You have no need to. I have this under control."

Our conversation ended.

[X]

After school on Friday, I stood in the damp, chilly spring air with several other students, and Alice beside me, watching Bella's tennis game. Jessica—Bella Swan's only friend—shivered merely a few inches away from me, her eyes wandering away from the bouncing yellow ball.

"Not a tennis fan?" I asked the human.

She stared at me, lips parted slightly. I did not at first understand the shock, until I realized it was the first time I ever spoke to her.

"Oh, uh, I guess I like it. It's just cold and _damp_." She shoved her hands into her light pink windbreaker pockets.

Icily, I replied, "We live in Forks. It is _always_ cold and damp."

"Yup. Good point." Jessica averted her eyes. Alice gave a small smirk, clearly entertained.

I stood there in silence I found rather comfortable until the match ended. Forks High reigned victorious and before I knew it, Bella Swan ran at me, soaked with sweat, feverish beneath the frigid, gradually intensifying rain.

Bella threw her arms around me before I could stop her, and planted a burning kiss on my icy cheek. I could only liken the sensation to sun rays grazing the surface of the moon.

I whispered in her ear, "Why do I intimidate humans so much?"

"Full disclosure, I think you intimidate non-humans too." She stepped away from me with a goofy grin on her face.

"Well, perhaps I like it that way," I decided, crossing my arms.

Bella kept smiling.

"Are you two…?" asked Jessica, startling me. "Are you two together or something?"

Bella looked at me, awaiting my decision. I suppose I did hold all of the cards, and now was the moment to play them properly.

"I don't know," I admitted. "We've only been on one date."

"No labels yet, then?" Jessica giggled. I wanted to bite her. Why did everyone constantly want me to make choices about Bella Swan? I needed _time_ to decide if I was ready or not.

"No labels yet," I crisply clarified. "It is much too soon."

"She did save your life from that car. Like a lady Tarzan." Jessica stepped closer to her friend. "It'd be weirder if you two _didn't_ get together."

"Thank you for your input. I should go." I turned to my semi-sister. "Alice, come on. Esme is making our favorite dinner, remember?"

"Right," Alice chirped without hesitation. "See ya, Bella!"

I gently waved at the wolf, and then departed in a hurry.

[X]

Late Friday night, "I need to speak to you all," said Carlisle to the entire coven.

He just returned from the hospital and he looked _grave_. We all slowly gathered in the main living room and he stood in front of the television to address us.

Carlisle briskly began, "The topic has been abuzz in this house—"

Thoughtlessly, I cried out, "My life with Bella is private!"

I wanted to tear off my own arm from pure and utter shame and humiliation when I saw Carlisle's expression. How could I be so stupid?

"This isn't about that. This is about Amunet." He gazed down at his feet for a moment. "We received a call from the Denali Cov—"

Tanya tensed and pleaded, "Are they okay? Please tell me."

"Your sisters are safe. They had nothing to do with me and the Volturi. But we now certainly know Amunet is seeking us. Irina said Angelique showed up at their house in the mountains."

Tanya cried out, voice constricted with emotion, "But they're _hidden_! They're _well-hidden_!"

Esme empathetically squeezed her shoulder. I wrung my hands, uncertain how to even begin consoling someone.

"I know. Irina said Amunet wasn't with Angelique. Angelique was operating with the support of a tracker and his small coven, and knowing Amunet, that is only a fraction of her followers to come."

Edward intensely leaned forward. " _Followers_?"

Carlisle sharply nodded. "Amunet headed a massive cult of vampires that endangered humanity and endangered the Volturi. That is why we needed to bury her, to stop her. Those not killed by Aro for their crimes disbanded and, as far as I know, became independent nomads or settled covens of their own. Cutting off the head of the snake was very effective in Amunet's case. It may be effective again, but I think it's best we don't get involved unless she involves us first."

Tanya insisted, "She involved us the _moment_ she started _tracking us_."

"I know you're worried about your family, but I don't think they are in any immediate danger," said Carlisle.

The room suddenly felt very calm. My panic receded and I shot a quick glance at Jasper. He never liked it when anything became too tense. And _this_ —with an apparently invincible ancient vampire on the loose looking for our coven—was the epitome of tense.

No one said a word for several long minutes, until the buzz of my phone interrupted the silence. I slowly picked it up and saw a new text from Bella Swan.

' _Charlie wants to meet you and Carlisle. He invited you guys to lunch with me. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?'_

I pursed my lips and decided to give it a few hours thought. Right now, I needed to help my family figure out what to do about Amunet and Angelique.

[X]

After a lengthy and pointless discussion about whether or not we should fight Amunet and Angelique, I turned my attention to the potential lunch with Chief Swan and his daughter. I at last made my decision—far more easily than my coven made the decision to stay out of Amunet's way unless absolutely necessary—and I strode into Carlisle's home office.

The office was flawlessly organized and the surfaces all were polished. It smelled of mahogany candles. Carlisle sat at his desk, which faced the window, and pored over papers.

I cleared my throat and he turned to face me, looking as weary as a vampire could. It made me uncomfortable to worsen his stress, but I forced myself to inquire anyway. "So, Carlisle, Chief Swan wants you and me and Bella to go to lunch together tomorrow."

"It would be a pleasure," the patriarch of my coven replied, much to my relief.

I withdrew my phone from my pocket and replied to Bella, _Yes. How about three?_

She replied almost instantaneously with, ' _Sounds good!'_

"Three o'clock. I imagine she'll tell us the restaurant soon," I said, nodding. Carlisle offered a smile but it was forced. "I hope this doesn't make our problems with Amunet worse."

"No. It's a wonderful reprieve. I'm so happy you found your mate, Rose. It's one good thing in a world that is looking very bleak at the moment."

"I don't know if I'd call her my mate."

He slyly smiled. I suppressed an angry pout.

"She's your mate. You're her imprint. It's a very beautiful thing and I think the sooner you accept it, the happier you'll be and the freer you'll feel."

"Maybe so," I said, although I did not believe it.

I was far from ready to accept the notion of having a _mate_.

[X]

The next day, I stood in Port Angeles outside of Bella Italia. Carlisle remained still as a statue beside me as we waited for Charlie and Bella Swan to arrive. At last, they strode down the sidewalk and planted their feet straight across from us.

Carlisle swiftly struck up conversation with Charlie. I rubbed my lips together, waiting for Bella to set the tone of the afternoon.

She reached into her ratty messenger bag and handed me a beautifully painted picture.

"I hope this isn't too geeky." She blushed. I held my breath to ensure I did not breathe in the sweet scent of her blood.

It portrayed—in exquisite detail—the waterfall, and two nondescript figures in the topaz water, pale skin a stark contrast against the muddy evergreen trees.

"I like it," I earnestly said, and Bella's grin stretched ten miles wide.

Before we could speak further, Charlie turned his attention to me.

"What are your intentions towards my daughter?" gruffly demanded Chief Swan.

I answered as calmly as possible, "I would like to court her, sir."

" _Court_ me?" a baffled Bella inquired.

For the first time tonight, nervousness coursed through me. "Date her? I think I meant date her. I am… not certain of this protocol, sir." I turned to look over my shoulder and saw that Carlisle appeared amused by this ordeal.

As if sharing this unspoken mirth, Chief Swan looked about to laugh and I wondered if I was doing this wrong. I had to be.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I've never done this before."

"You're doing fine, kid," said Chief Swan with a casual chuckle. "Let's get a bite to eat, and I can interrogate you." Pause. "I'm just kidding."

I smiled my loveliest and most enchanting smile as we walked into the restaurant.

[X]

After lunch, I was nauseated and decided to duck away with Bella. Charlie and Carlisle were in the middle of conversation; that went well, at least.

"That was like eating dirt," I coldly said, a sneer creeping onto my lips as I ducked behind a building and choked up the small salad I ate.

When I looked up, Bella did not seem too disgusted. She still stared at me like I was the Milky Way on a cloudless night in the mountains. I did not think I could understand it; if I saw her vomiting, I knew I would be uncomfortable for at least a few minutes.

"Care to go the shops?" Bella offered and I nodded.

We began to walk up the street side by side.

As we made our way towards the shops, Bella silently looked at me for the longest time. I loved gazing into her eyes, but I did not know if that made her my mate or not. Perhaps it just made her beautiful to me.

She awkwardly broke the ice. "So, uh, do vampires have reflections?" Bella asked and I couldn't help but laugh. She _was_ cute, if nothing else.

"Yes. The only reason vampires couldn't in the past was because mirrors were backed with silver. Now they're usually not."

"So… in an old mirror you wouldn't have a reflection?"

"Mmm, who knows? A question for Carlisle instead, perhaps."

Bella smiled. We turned into a shop of miscellaneous baubles, jewelry and other gifts in an almost uniform and rather hideous shade of salmon pink.

The silence was comfortable. I could not help but enjoy that, standing in a shop, saying nothing but not struggling to come up with anything to say.

Bella broke that spell when she stopped at a section of stuffed animals.

"Oh, look how cute this is," Bella remarked, squeezing the paw of a stuffed otter.

"Let me buy it for you," I insisted and Bella infuriatingly shook her head again. "Why are you so afraid of me giving you a gift? It is not abnormal to give your—your—your _girlfriend_ a present."

It _pained_ me to say that word. She ought to realize how damned lucky she was that I was allowing her to be my girlfriend.

Bella said, "I hate it when people spend money on me."

"Don't be difficult," I snapped a little too harshly. "It's a cheap stuffed animal."

After a moment of faintly pouting, Bella relented and I bought her a gift.

Did this mean we were dating?

I had no clue.

[X]

The afternoon became evening, and Bella and I stopped in a quaint hipster coffee shop.

"Pinball," I brightly commented, loosely pointing at a flashing machine.

Bella stopped looking at me and looked at the line of arcade games behind dirty glass and fliers for poetry nights. She held a mocha firmly in one hand while I strode to the pinball machine.

"I suck at that," Bella said with a small laugh. "Are you any good?"

Faintly smiling, I explained, "Well, I've had decades to perfect my skills. Car repair, French, arcade games. I have degrees in business, electrical engineering and astrophysics. I studied pre-med, but never went on to med school. Long story short, let me borrow a quarter."

Bella rummaged in the fraying front pocket of her bag and at last handed me a coin. I accepted it and started up a game. She watched over my shoulder while I utilized every vampire advantage it took to achieve the high score.

When I finally looked up and stepped back, Bella applauded me. I rolled my eyes.

Bella's eyelashes fluttered as she composed herself. "That was awesome. I mean, if you were trying to impress me, I'm really impressed."

"I was not trying to impress you," I airily lied, softly shrugging one shoulder. "Pinball is fun."

Bella grins and throws away her empty cup. I start walking towards the door and she scurries to catch up with me. We step into the damp, cold air and turn to each other.

"Uhm, can I hold your hand?" asked Bella and I took a moment to think.

"Alright," I said, intertwining our fingers. "We should get back to Carlisle and Charlie. I'm certain they are waiting for us."

"Probably." Bella nodded, blushing bright red.

A vision of digging my teeth into her neck and tearing out her jugular dominates my mind. The hot blood splashes across my cold skin as I drink it in, and she fades away in a sea of crimson. I bite my lip and force that unwanted fantasy away.

We start walking back towards the restaurant hand in hand.

A group of guys stood smoking outside of a small bar. My body shook slightly, my senses flashing into a heightened state, as if I were hunting in the woods. Smells stronger, colors brighter, details twice as focused and intense.

One of them wolf whistled at a wolf and vampiress. I tugged on Bella to hurry her along.

The moment that overbold young man made a pass at the girl I was with—and she yelped, inhaling sharply from contact on her feverish skin—I did not hesitate to punch him in the face. His nose crunched sickeningly beneath my knuckles. As he fell back, he arched and crashed to the pavement; I forgot to restrain my vampiric force. Withholding a gag, I grabbed Bella's warm arm and we sprinted away from the scene.

We ran, ran, ran. At last, we came to a stop near the edge of an alleyway. Bella turned to me, gasping for breath. I had no need to do such a thing.

"What was—what was _that_?" Bella asked, aghast. I locked eyes with her. The brown did not seem as soft and beautiful; it was as hard as molten bronze. "We could've just kept walking. He was an asshole but…" Bella caught her breath. "Thanks, though. Thanks."

"I just got a little scared and panicked. It should be nothing. I do not believe my actions exposed our supernatural nature," I said, trying to ease away from my panicked state.

"I was just scared I was gonna turn into a wolf in the middle of Port Angeles." Pause. "You got scared. Why would humans scare you?"

I stood silently for a few moments.

The easiest answer would be that I wanted to stick up for my girlfriend. The harder answer would help Bella understand why my affection would be difficult to gain.

While both of those choices had benefits, only one truly appealed to me, despite making my skin crawl at the slightest thought.

"I never intended to tell you this so early…" I took a slow breath. "But perhaps it will also help you understand why I'm reluctant to be with you, to be with anyone at all. Carlisle—he only turns people when they're already dying. He transforms someone into a vampire to… save them, for lack of a better word. To give them a second chance might be better phrasing."

After a moment's hesitation, I told her my story. From the beginning, to the end, to the details of my revenge. I spared to say only what made me too sick to mention.

When I at last finished the tale and fell silent, Bella looked faint. I _knew_ I should have kept my mouth shut. It made me sick to say a single word about my past as a human.

"I'm sorry," she said, and I was aware no better words existed. It was hard to discuss. "You—you make it sound like being a vampire was… just as bad as dying like that."

"I'm grateful," I said. "I really am. Yet, not a day goes by I don't wish for a normal life. Do you? Do you ever wish you weren't a wolf? You were just ordinary?"

"I dunno. I try not to think about it. It's pretty new to me." Bella stared at her feet for a moment. She looked so _angry_ and I felt wildly confused. The girl should be _elated_ I chose to speak to her about something that made me want to throw up. Not _angry_.

I did not want her to hurt. That did not make her my mate, but I knew I was stuck with her as a wolf imprint, and I knew I did not want to hurt someone dedicated to keeping me happy and safe. Why was she so hurt?

I snapped myself out of my spiraling thoughts and prodded, "But if you had to choose between being a human and being a shifter…?"

Bella did not even hesitate to reply, "Shifter. It makes me feel stronger than I used to be. I mean, what's there really to miss out on? This date was pretty normal for two teenagers."

I clenched and unclenched my fists. I glared at the cloudy sky. I turned to Bella and stared straight into her eyes.

Fiercely, the fabric of my dress knotted in my fists, I explained, "I want to eat ice cream in the sunshine. I want to sleep and dream at night. I want to kiss someone without worrying I'll rip out their jugular with my teeth. I want to _have babies_ and I want to watch them grow up and spoil them with stuffed animals. I lost… I lost more than I gained."

Silence.

"You're kind of angsty," softly said Bella.

I snapped, "I've earned my right to be… _kind of angsty_. Maybe being a wolf is easier. Maybe you're closer to human than to beast."

"I _can_ be human. If I stop phasing, I grow old and end up pretty normal. But, even if I had that much control at this point, I wouldn't make that choice. I've spent my life being ordinary and bland and just a background character in other people's stories. I have my own story now."

Something hit me like a brick to the gut. I was angry at Bella for not seeing what I lost. I was angry at Bella for not being kinder and more sympathetic about how hard it was to tell that story. I was angry at Bella for trying to be some kind of overprotective girlfriend.

But now…

Now tears blossomed in my stinging eyes. My curse of undeath was about to wound yet another soul.

I whispered, taking Bella's hands in mine, "If I'm your imprint, and I'm immortal, does that mean you have to keep phasing forever?"

Bella said, "I guess. I stick by my imprint no matter what."

I furrowed my brow. "Even if I snapped and went on a killing spree, you wouldn't do what a Quiluete shifter must do and destroy me?"

"You're an exception, the only exception, even if my pack wouldn't see it that way."

Quizzically, I inquired, "Your pack?"

"Well, it just consists of me and two guys at the moment, but it's supposed to get even bigger. But, thing is, I'm the alpha, so none of them can order me to hurt you."

"The alpha, huh?" I smirked. Okay, maybe that sounded a little bit hot.

She blushed. I forgot I was breathing for the benefit of the crowded streets and the scent of her blood made me want to scream. The wolf in Bella insisted that she fall in love with me. The vampire in me insisted that I drain her of blood.

 _Can our kind even kill wolves?_ I found myself wondering. _They're strong. Stronger than humans, aren't they?_

Maybe a wolf and vampire were not as doomed of a match as I believed.

Just maybe.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

The day after my first date with Rosalie, I hopped out of my truck on Jacob's gravel driveway. He was mowing the lawn shirtless and shot me a quick wave punctuated by a lopsided grin. Quil and Embry goofed off in the yard nearby. I playfully averted my eyes and Jacob shook his head.

I walked up to the house and stepped inside, hoping I could talk to Billy about my date and about my worries of the cross-species liason I was now caught up in. But as soon as I stepped inside, I inhaled the sweet scent of blueberry muffins. Then I saw a young woman smiling and working in the kitchen, laughing beside the oddly flustered Sam Uley.

Billy was focused on some old war movie in the living room.

"Hi," I nervously said, edging closer to the unfamiliar girl. "I'm Bella."

"I'm Emily." She set down a wooden spoon and shook my hand.

Sam turned to me and stated, "I imprinted on her."

Something within me twisted angrily, but I swallowed the rage. Instead, I commented lightly, "I guess I'm not so alone then."

"We're having a movie marathon day with Billy. You wanna come?"

"If these blueberry muffins are involved, yeah, I do." I forced a smile. That confusing anger simmered beneath the surface and I continued to ignore it.

"So, she knows about the wolves?" I asked.

"Yes. She's basically part of the pack now. All imprints are."

"All of them?" I skeptically asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I don't see anyone inviting Rose over for muffins and movies."

Billy turned his chair to face me. "It would break the treaty. If not, she would be welcome."

"We wouldn't welcome a vampire, right, Madame Alpha?" Sam growled and Emily's eyes widened.

"Vampires?" she breathlessly asked, staring straight at Sam.

Sam explained, "Yeah. Our mortal enemy. We were born and created to protect our lands, protect our home, protect our people. And mainly, we must protect our people from _vampires_."

Billy calmly interjected, "The Cullens are good people. I trust that they won't break the treaty. It is Bella's decision."

I rubbed my face. "I wouldn't bring Rose around. I was just being childish. My pack has to come first and if you all don't feel safe with her here. I will suck that up, because _I'm Alpha_."

The emphasis seemed necessary, given Sam's puffed up chest.

"A female Alpha. Girl power." Emily winked at me. It calmed the situation by tendfold.

"Yeah. Pale Face Power," Sam grumbled.

I let him have that one. He needed to cool off and it would be a stupid move to goad him further just because I was pissed.

"I might only be half Quileute," I said, "but I'm full wolf, and I'm fully on your side."

Sam cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I really do." He stepped towards me. " _But_ , now that I've met Emily, I know just how far I would go to protect her and love her. You would go that far for a vampire. How is the pack supposed to trust you?"

"What pack?" I demanded. "The two of us?"

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. I strode down the linoleum hallway and opened the door to reveal a man I had met a few times at bonfires: Old Quil.

I wondered if I should say anything, and decided to silently step inside and close the door behind the old man.

Old Quil stepped through the door. He examined each and every person in the house and said calmly, "Jared just phased. He is waiting in the car; I feared that there would be people around who could not know of the wolves yet. The boys outside cannot."

Well, this was sure as Hell going to be an interesting visit to the reservation.

[X]

A blueberry muffin in each hand, I sat across from Jared. Sam took a seat beside me and we both gazed silently at the newest addition to the pack.

"We should make a pamphlet or something. _So You're a Werewolf,"_ I said and Sam shook his head. Jared laughed faintly. "I guess Old Quil told you the story."

Jared nodded. "I wouldn't believe it if I… if I didn't have _paws_ an hour ago."

"Yeah. It's pretty shocking. Especially when you have my complexion," I said and he nervously laughed yet again. It visibly irritated Sam.

"Could you take this seriously? Just because the filthy vampire girl is greasing your—"

I jumped to my feet. Sam followed suit. He was a hulking young man, three years older than me, and I knew I was scared. I also knew I needed to stand my ground.

"What did you just say? I didn't hear you."

"You didn't hear me because you interrupted me before I was done."

"Okay, go on, finish your sentence."

Sam enunciated each syllable. "Just because the filthy vampire girl is greasing your pole doesn't mean you're _above_ your duties as a wolf. As an Alpha. You're a pitiful excuse for an Alpha when you're—you're a _vampire lover_. A leech-screwer and—"

I regretted the destruction of Billy's property when I lost control and transformed there and then in to a snarling wolf. Sam lost it a split second after me.

 _'_ _You want to be Alpha?'_ I thought fiercely. To my shock, the voice of my mind echoed in an eerie double timbre. _'Fight me.'_

 _'_ _Gladly,'_ boomed Sam's livid response.

He jumped at me, and I at him. We tore at each other, teeth and claws, while no one raised a hand to stop us. I barely registered the pain from the bites and scratches on my body. All I could do was keep going, keep fighting, although nothing in my nature leant itself to success.

Sam rammed his head against me while I fell and I crashed into the wall. Whimpering, I slid to the floor and dizzily looked up and around, trying to predict his next attack.

He ran towards me, preparing to leap. I winched just anticipating him making contact.

As if through a layer of water, I heard Emily's voice, "I brought more muff—"

She screamed, piercing the haze, and I stumbled to my feet, paws dug into the tribal patterned carpet. I smelled the blood before I saw the scene. Sam rose in his human form, running to her and the waves of blood pouring from her face.

I needed to stay and help. I needed to get her to the hospital. I needed to stand beside my pack and the imprint included.

But I panicked.

This was my fault.

What happened to Emily was my fault.

And so, still a wolf, I ran towards the woods, bounding through them. Raindrops kissed my fur as I ran through the grey mid-morning drizzle. I looked up at the white sun behind the gossamer clouds for a moment, then resumed my flight from Billy's house.

I left my purse, my clothes, my car.

None of those mattered when I felt that tug of the Alpha in me. One of my pack was hurt physically, and the other was hurt mentally. I needed to help them, but I just kept running in the direction of Forks.

I thought to myself on repeat, _Coward, coward, coward. Isabella Swan, you are a coward._

After an endless run, I snuck into the house and slid on my softest, best smelling clothes. I combed my wet hair and touched up my make-up in the mirror. The longer I looked at my reflection, the more I hated myself and my decision to run away from what I did in La Push.

But I did not think I could go back.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the wall for hours.

[X]

After my tennis game on Friday, I went home with my dad. He gushed for the entire drive about how proud he was, how he loved every move I made on the court. As we pulled up to the house, he parked but did not open the car doors.

I turned to him.

Charlie swallowed and said, "You spend a lot of time in La Push these days."

"Oh, uh, do I?" I wondered if I was ever going back after my mistake with Emily, a sweet girl who made muffins for her new family.

Charlie awkwardly rolled his shoulder and ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't know how to ask, but are you and Jacob dating now?"

"Jake?" I laughed. "I do love him but like a brother. Seriously platonic, dad."

"Oh. Good." Pause. "He wouldn't be a bad choice, though."

"Actually, y'know the girl Rosalie Hale who took me hiking and came over to hang out? She's the one I'm dating now. I think. I'm not entirely sure if we're a couple or not, but it—it was a date."

"Oh." He looked startled, but then composed himself. "She's a pretty girl. A pretty girl who I better meet if you want to go out with her."

"I'll text her and ask."

Charlie sternly stated, "Don't ask. Demand."

"Okay," I said, raising my eyebrows.

I typed out my message and then crossed my fingers.

[X]

After receiving my reply in the dead of the night, I decided to paint a picture for Rosalie Hale. I tried a few halfhearted sketches of ideas before tossing them out. Slowly, I stood and hooked up my phone to its speakers. My thumb landed on the song I had not stopped listening to since the Valentine's Dance: "La Vie En Rose."

I made it my muse as I painted.

The waterfall seemed suitable. The right place. The right feeling.

As I painted the topaz water, it flowed in my mind to the tune of the sweet, crackling melody.

[X]

On my date, watching Rosalie play pinball was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen in my life. In the simplest of terms, it blew me away. I certainly noticed the perks of immortality.

Once she hit the high score, the two of us walked out onto the sidewalk. The sun began to set, staining the cloudy sky orange and pink. I was preoccupied by her narrowed molten gold eyes when I heard the sorry excuse for a guy.

I intended to keep walking. Rosalie made that difficult by unleashing her vampire strength on the crude drunk. Before I knew it, we were running.

Once we stopped, I caught my breath. She was lucky to not need to breathe. I was eternal life, fierce fire, and she was cold undeath beneath the moon. It worked for me; I thought it was pretty romantic.

"What was—what was _that_?" I asked, trying to hold back my horror. Rosalie locked eyes with me and I was briefly lost in their immense beauty. "We could've just kept walking," I continued, the protective side of the imprint rising to the surface. "He was an asshole but…" I decided to keep cool. She clearly could take care of herself. The guy _arched_ when she punched him. "Thanks, though. Thanks."

"I just got a little scared and panicked. It should be nothing. I do not believe my actions exposed our supernatural nature." She sounded stilted and worried in a way that made a beast in my chest growl.

"I was just scared I was gonna turn into a wolf in the middle of Port Angeles." Pause. "You got scared. Why would humans scare you?"

Rosalie fell silent and I began to sweat, worried I said something wrong.

I gazed at her pleadingly.

At last, she spoke. "I never intended to tell you this so early. But perhaps it will also help you understand why I'm reluctant to be with you, to be with anyone at all. Carlisle—he only turns people when they're already dying. He transforms someone into a vampire to… save them, for lack of a better word. To give them a second chance might be better phrasing."

"That's nice of him," I awkwardly said.

"I've only dated one other person in my life," said Rosalie. "Before you, that is. It was a very long time ago. I was young, human and beautiful. Very beautiful. It attracted a wealthy suitor, which was the best thing that ever happened to my middle-class family. It was a gift to me too, because I loved the special treatment, the looks, what people were willing to do for my beauty."

"I can understand it," I blurted out.

"I know. His name was Royce King. He wanted me and I wanted him—well, I wanted the social status that came from courting him—and we very quickly planned a lavish wedding."

Anger surged in me over merely that. The idea of anyone marrying Rosalie other than me made me want to punch the nearby brick storefront. But that feeling paled in comparison to my reaction to what came next. She spoke as if she were telling a story, and the story pained me. Were the monster not long dead, I thought I would go hunt him down and rip his throat out. Or worse. My fists clenched. Her gilded eyes glazed over.

"I thought I died when I woke up. But I wasn't that lucky," she whispered as a finale.

It killed me. Killed me. Killed me.

I clenched my jaw to keep from shifting and going Godzilla on Port Angeles.

[X]

After the lunch, settling in at home, Charlie said in earnest, "I like her."

"You do?" I breathlessly asked, eyes widening. My worries melted away.

Charlie settled on the sofa. I remained standing; my body still shook with slowly receding energy. "Yeah. She seems fine. A little uppity, but fine."

"I like her a lot," I said, examining the marks on my palms from my nails. I kept thinking about how hauntingly calm her words were when she spoke of Royce King. She rehearsed that speech. It was clear that he left a mark no venom or kiss could cure.

"Good. You'll keep seeing her, then?" asked Charlie.

"Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "Yeah, I will."

Charlie just nodded.

He never was a man of many words.

[X]

Alice showed up on my doorstep unexpectedly on a drizzly grey mid-morning. Charlie was charmed by her within minutes—to no one's surprise—and invited her inside. I strode downstairs and held up my phone.

"So, what's this random text from you inviting me to play baseball?" I inquired, waving my phone around a bit for emphasis.

"Come on. You're practically family now that you're melting the Ice Princess. Come play with us." Alice bounced twice with her hands clasped.

"I hate the rain," I remarked, but I shrugged at her and grabbed my bag from the coatrack. "But I like you people for some reason."

Alice winked at me. I shook my head. Charlie looked baffled beyond belief.

"Don't stay out late," he gruffly insisted and I nodded.

"I'll be home soon. I promise." I jokingly saluted him and stepped out into the rain with Alice. We stood in front of a hulking Jeep. "Not what I expected you to drive."

"It's Emmett's. This baseball game is, um, intense." Alice giggled. "It's probably not the best way for you to meet my family and all, _but_ it's always fun."

"Yes. Baseball in the rain. In the forest, apparently."

"We have to play in the rain. Only during thunderstorms or it gets… loud."

I had no response to that.

[X]

After racing Alice halfway up a mountain, I stumbled to a stop in front of the entire Cullen Coven. Esme greeted me with a hug. She smelled of floral perfume and cashmere sweaters. Everyone else gave me a few words of welcome. I stood surrounded by vampires, a wolf in their midst, an absolute outsider, and felt vaguely at home.

It made me think of the pack I abandoned out of cowardice. I thought of the countless calls from Jake I ignored. The fact that no one else bothered to make contact with me after what happened. If the wolves did not want me anymore, at least the vampires did.

"So," said Emmett, "do you think a wolf can keep up with the vampire crew?"

"I do," I said, although my voice faintly shook. I worried I could come off as overconfident, but I did not want to seem like a puddle of goo either. This simple exchange made my heart race and my palms sweat.

"Well, Bella, batter up," said Esme with a warm smile. "You're on Rose's team."

I saw her at last; she was striding onto the makeshift diamond from the woods. The ball in her hand told the story; she must have been retrieving it.

Just seeing the dim light reflecting on her golden hair set my world on fire.

Seeing her smile at me was almost my death.

[X]

We were in an intense high point of the game when Carlisle glanced around at us all and held up his hands.

"Stop!" he exclaimed and Rosalie tumbled to her knees (she was seconds from stealing

I began to run to help her up before I saw what made Carlisle's so passionately call off the game. Three foreboding figures approached from the tree line.

Two men. A woman. All vampires; I could _smell them_. A voice inside of me I never before had met cried out in anguish _, 'Kill them! Quickly!'_

Before I could react, "Well, well, well, what have we here," said the beautiful woman with fiery hair. "We hardly run into our own kind these days."

The blond male vampire beside her purred, "I'm James, this is Victoria, and this is Laurent."

Carlisle stared at Edward. I knew they were exchanging information, and wished I was in on it.

"A pleasure to meet you all. Care to join us in this game?" Carlisle smiled confidently. "We could use a few extra players."

"I would have accepted in another world, but, in this one, I swore my fealty to the woman who will secure our race's destiny."

"Amunet," muttered Carlisle. He looked up and spoke clearly. "Which of you is the tracker?"

The man with dark skin pointed at the blond, as did the ginger woman.

"My colleagues have outed me, I see," said James, smirking. "The Denali Clan must have warned you we were coming. It would've been cleaner to kill them, _but_ Amunet does not wish for any vampire blood to be spilled."

"Then let us walk away," Carlisle stated. "No blood spilled. I pose no threat to Amunet; I am no longer a friend of the Volturi and live a calm life of peace with my coven."

"Amunet doesn't want to kill you. She wants to do something much, much worse. We are merely here to… fetch you all." James's lips contorted into a sick grin.

I swallowed the urge inside of me to shift. It hurt, it burned, and I knew I could not hold out as long as I needed to, so I squeezed my eyes shut and left it to fate.

"James, you didn't introduce me to your new friends," said another voice, emerging from the forest. Another vampire. It had to be. That drew my attention enough for the emotion to recede.

"Angelique," said Carlisle, and that name seemed to mean something to every single Cullen. All I saw was a slender and smirking platinum blonde cold one in impractical heels emerging from the shadow of the trees. "You've been looking for us, haven't you?"

"I found you," said Angelique, and she gestured loosely at James. "Or, at least, my tracker companion did. He did well."

Carlisle stepped forward and Esme futilely reached for him.

"Where is she?" demanded the doctor, and I was utterly stunned by the ferocity of his words. He even scared me with the way he spoke.

"Why would I tell you that? What could I possibly gain by giving up Amunet? I assure you, however, that my mate has more important things to do than wipe out your insignificant coven so weak they don't even feed on humans. Think more carefully before you speak, Carlisle Cullen." At last, Angelique turned to me and cocked an eyebrow. "What is _that thing_?"

I lost it. I lost it under the gaze of those crimson eyes.

My body twisted, contorted, exploded, and I was reborn as a gigantic snarling wolf. That panicked every vampire, including Angelique. I decided to growl and snap my teeth, attempting to scare them away instead of tearing them limb from limb; I was not sure I could do that.

"The sedatives work on her just as well as the others!" snarled Angelique, glowering at her companions. "Do not be cowards or you will suffer a terrible price!"

I growled and advanced several steps. Rosalie moved with me.

James's two accomplices did not seem to care much about the terrible price that Angelique threatened.

"I don't like this, James!" cried out Victoria, backing away. She turned to Laurent and he nodded, russet eyes wide. "I _never_ liked this damned Amunet idea in the first place!"

"She has a good point," spat Laurent, but James paid him no mind.

They ran from the scene, disappearing into the dark evergreens, as I slowly, snarling approached Angelique and James. Rosalie stood not far behind me, fists clenched. Jasper bared his fangs, ready for a fight. Esme stood behind Carlisle, and he watched from the center of the field, examining every action every person took. Emmett, Edward and Tanya looked more than ready for a fight. I guess I had good backup, even without my pack.

Angelique pushed up her skirt and withdrew a small gun from a holster. Vials lined the silk, and she picked one up. I turned to James and pounced, but, in mid-air, I felt a needle puncture my skin. Shocked, I tumbled over, not making contact with the tracker.

I faded from my form as a wolf while the sedative coursed through my veins.

Rosalie ran forward to me at a speed that gave me vertigo. But another vial hit the back of her neck and she collapsed on top of my naked body.

The drugs gave me no choice but to surrender to the darkness.

I blacked out.

[X]

When I woke up, I lay in an open field beneath the stars. I turned and saw Emmett, Alice and Jasper lying not far from me, all still unconscious. I sat up to try to wake them, but then realized I was stark naked. No, no, no. This was my worst nightmare.

I grabbed Emmett's gigantic varsity sweater and wrapped it around myself like a robe.

Okay. Now I could do this.

I woke Emmett first and he groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes. He helped me wake Alice and Jasper. Alice—as the tiniest—was the most weak, dizzy and lethargic.

"Why did they leave us here?" I croaked, glancing around. "They took…"

Jasper murmured, "Carlisle, Edward, Esme, Tanya, Rosalie… The closest people to Carlisle, I guess. Amunet sure holds a grudge."

"Who's Amunet? Can somebody please fill me in," I begged, eyes wide.

"Amunet is the first vampire ever created. She lived many years, and gathered a following of people who believed vampires were the superior species. She tried to overthrow the Volturi, and Carlisle helped them when they stopped her."

"How did they stop her?" I whispered.

"They buried her alive in Barcelona. A mortal construction crew woke her up a few weeks ago. Angelique is her mate, and she escaped the Volturi's attention when Amuent was imprisoned."

I felt sick as I said, "Buried her alive? No wonder she's bitter."

"We can find them before it's too late."

"How?" I asked.

"Let's get home and make a plan." Jasper picked up Alice.

Emmett and I stood in such a hurry that my head spun. Without saying a word, we all ran at preternatural speed through the woods. Jasper led the way. We stopped at an incredible manor. I gaped at it from afar.

Slowly, I walked inside. I half-expected a lair with coffins and cobwebs. Instead, I saw a tastefully decorated mansion. It could belong to any wealthy human out there. Emmett led me upstairs to Rosalie's room and I found an outfit of hers. I slunk into the lavish marble bathroom to change, the whole time shaking from rage and fear.

I was _terrified_. Until today, I thought my imprint was safe. She was powerful, a vampire… but now she was up against creatures just as powerful as her.

Once I was dressed, I walked downstairs and saw Emmett, Alice and Jasper standing around the kitchen counter. The room was evidently unused, and just as beautiful as everything else in the house. I ran my fingertip across the icy stone before looking up.

"Any plans?" Jasper inquired.

They all looked to me. God knows why.

Yet…

"I know what we can do…" I hesitated. "We could get Sam and Jared to help. I can track the scent alone, I know, but with my pack I'm stronger and we have better chances. But I…"

The hopeful expression on Emmett's face stopped me midsentence; I did not need to tell them about the wedge between me and the other wolves. I picked up my phone and started to text Jacob.

I knew I needed to face my pack again, despite my shame and pain.

Why?

Because I needed to rescue Rosalie at _any_ cost.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

I woke in utter darkness.

 _Woke_. I could not remember the last time that happened. A life of perpetual consciousness always frustrated me until this moment. I missed it now.

"H-how?" I asked the darkness.

It answered me in the smooth purr of a woman. Her voice was gravelly and imbibed with an unfamiliar accent. "They tranquilized you."

"How?" I asked, confused. "My skin is diamond hard. No one can pierce a vampire."

The shadowy figure purred, "We made the darts from my bones. They are more than strong enough to penetrate a vampire's hide."

It hit me like a brick to the face. The silhouette must be Amunet. The first vampire stood before me, and slowly turned on the lights.

I expected that I awoke in a lavish palace dungeon, in a land of fables and glamour. Instead, I stood in a chilly, dusty bedroom that looked as if it could not be older than the Oregon Trail.

"You must be Amunet," I whispered as my eyes quickly adjusted to the bright light.

The first vampire ever created was strikingly attractive. All vampires were, but she was eerily winsome. Until now, I considered myself to be the most beautiful woman alive, but perhaps I was wrong to assume that. Her fawn skin glowed, her raven hair was lush, her lips full and enticing, her dated Egyptian features rare, everything about her more beautiful than Cleopatra herself.

She was the most beautiful creature I ever witnessed until I looked into her crimson eyes and saw ice-cold malice in them.

Amunet purred smugly, "Yes. I am the first vampiress, and you ought to respect me. Your family is still alive—in a manner of speaking—I should say they are unharmed. I separated you. It is the wise choice, as I do not trust Carlisle."

I croaked, "He buried you alive."

"Yes. Am I right to assume you are part of his coven?" Amunet stepped closer to me and I breathed in her scent. Every vampire had one, and hers was that of both death and desire.

"Yes." I nervously licked my lips. "Yes, I am."

No one ever intimidated me until this very moment.

"I do not believe we have met. That is inevitable when I was locked alive in a coffin since your quaint American Revolution," said Amunet, cracking a frightening smile as she sized me up like a meal.

"I—I'm Rosalie. Rosalie Hale," was all I could make myself say. My fingers uncontrollably shook. After speaking, I chewed softly on my lower lip.

Amunet smiled like Splenda. "Welcome, Rosalie Hale."

"I've never done anything to you. Why take me?" I pleaded, crumbling against my will.

"Angelique told me about the wolf creature, and how you ran to it. She found it fascinating. I am curious, I suppose. We took Carlisle's boy—the first he turned, if my sources at the Denali Coven are correct—and his mate. That was for dramatic effect, to cause more pain to the man who _suggested_ what _they did to me_. I took you because I am fascinated by that wolf creature."

"The _wolf creature_ has a name. Bella. And she's my mate. Where is she? What did you do to her?" Strange feelings washed over me like diving into the ocean, engulfing me in the unknown.

Amunet paid my fear and confusion no mind. "Angelique had to leave her behind. She was uncertain about the wolf's capabilities and if it posed a risk to our operation. The capture of your mate was not worth the risk. We left others behind as well, since two of Angelique's companions fled."

"Right." I did not know what else to say.

Amunet's crimson eyes glinted. "They did not make it far."

"You killed them?" I whispered, knowing I was a murderer. I _was_ , but Amunet… was worse.

The first vampire waved her hand dismissively. "Not yet. Now, Rosalie Hale, I would like for you to tell me about your wolf, perhaps over dinner."

"Dinner?" That sounded ominous.

Amunet wickedly smirked. "The feast never ends when you are one of my friends."

I managed to choke out, "Nice slogan."

"English is an unwieldy language that lacks any finesse, but I work with what I have. My native tongue is Late Egyptian, but I suppose I am most adept at Greek, Latin and French."

Charming. She was charming. It almost made sense that people wanted Amunet as a leader above someone like Aro. I was at a strange ease when she spoke, despite knowing I was in grave danger. Maybe she merely had more time to practice.

I decided to do what I thought wisest. What I thought would delay death by the hands of this woman—vampire—goddess—whatever she was. I would play along.

She seized my wrist and began to walk through the expansive and expensive home. The cobwebs made me wonder how many years passed before it was again inhabited. I knew not where she dragged me towards, but I kept as level-headed as possible.

"Where are we?" I asked, knowing I probably would not receive an answer.

"Near Ashland, in Oregon," Amunet calmly replied. Her voice vaguely intoxicated me, no doubt part of her false vampiric glamour. "A friend loaned us their lovely summer home. Angelique and I went to see Shakespeare in town; this place is renowned for it. We both reminisced about seeing more than one of his plays at the Globe in London."

"Wow. You've… lived a long time. You must have many remarkable stories to tell." I hoped and prayed with all of my heart that she found me nonthreatening. Perhaps my feigned interest could save my life.

"I do," casually said Amunet. "Unfortunately, I missed almost three centuries of history."

"Yet, you have millennia before that. You recall the end of the Roman Empire." I hesitated. "Did you know Cleopatra?"

Amunet laughed. "Does that matter?"

"I… there is a—a film about her I quite enjoy." My favorite movie with the lovely Elizabeth Taylor sprang to mind at an odd and inconvenient time.

"I knew of her. I lived in Rome at the time. Less _sand_ there. I hate sand."

"But you were born in Egypt."

"That was a life I barely remember. Before I was turned… I do not know who I was. I merely know I am strong, and I am spiteful, and I am the first of my kind."

"It is admirable," I said, trying to be as genuine as possible. I knew I could not hide my fear, but I tried my best.

"I have quite a selection for your dinner."

"Am—Amunet, Amunet, you see, you… you see, I have never tasted human blood."

"Not once?"

"No. I killed a few humans who wronged me, but I never took a single taste. I am the only person I know who has lived so… chastely. I am honored by your invitation but I do not want to ruin what I… what I am so proud of."

"It is nothing to be proud of," snarled Amunet. I saw venom glistening on fangs and felt the urge to run, but my legs refused to move. I was paralyzed by my fear. "It is weakness. Let me show you strength, Rosalie Hale."

I licked my lips. This was an appropriate time to panic.

"Please," I begged as we walked into the dining room of this mortal mansion.

Three people stood, bound, bound sickeningly. I could not do this. I was _stronger_ than this and I knew I needed to fight Amunet. But she was more powerful than I was. She could rip me apart into pieces if I refused her.

But I would. I would convince her somehow. I knew how to get what I wanted from people, and I wanted to retain my status of never tasting a drop of human blood.

"It is very rude of you to turn down my dinner with you. I could throw you in the basement like the others," snarled Amunet. "I could bury you in the backyard, helpless."

"Please," was the only word I remembered. Amunet shoved me to the three humans bound in rope. That was all it took to hold them in place.

"Rosalie Hale," said Amunet, her voice splitting into a terrifying double timbre. I shuddered against my will. "You are going to do this for me or I am going to dispose of you."

I contemplated my options, wondered what Carlisle would want me to do. They would never look at me again if I did this. If I killed to appease a thirst or bow to a monster. Yet, I also knew that my death would do no one any good.

So, I stepped forward, my head echoing with voices begging me to stop, and I leaned close to the neck of one of the humans. She begged softly but I managed to ignore her. As I felt the thunderous sound of her pulse, nausea struck me. My stomach twisted in disgust as I bared my teeth and sunk them into her neck.

I closed my eyes and knew I could not stop now. It was… tempting. It was everything Edward and Carlisle and Jasper said it was.

It was richer. More flavorful. A unique and sickeningly pleasurable taste.

The girl faded in my arms like a rag doll and I held her icy, lifeless form in my arms weakly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to a corpse. I did not know if vampires could cry, but I felt like I wanted to break down into sobs. The sweet, enticing blood still dripped from my cold lips.

Amunet's heels clicked loudly on the wooden floor as she strode to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. I trembled in place.

"Was that so hard?" she asked softly, crimson eyes gleaming.

I wondered what mine looked like. They probably were red for the first time in my immortal undeath. For years upon years they were gold. I walked to the cracked, dusty mirror and gazed at myself. They were the color of rubies, tired, make-up smeared beneath the pallid lids. I clasped my hand over my mouth.

I hated myself. I deserved to die. I deserved whatever dreadful fate Amunet planned for me. I was a sickening monster who should be burned at the stake.

Amunet stood in place, drawing my attention away from my newfound self-loathing. "Rosalie Hale, we ought to discuss your wolf now. I am very curious about your strange… mate."

I exclaimed, "I will not let you kill Bella! She is not a werewolf! She is a _shifter_!"

Amunet laughed. It sounded like wind chimes, as lovely as her, but deep under the surface, laced with darkness, as cruel as her.

"I would not kill a werewolf, even if she were one. I am not Aro or Carlisle. I do not stamp out powerful species like a fool. In my life, I have seen magical beasts of a thousand kinds, and they all have their uses in my eventual dominion. Bella, your mate, could be useful to me. To _us_."

I snarled at her impulsively. "There is no _us_! I am—I am not on your side."

Amunet punched the window, glass shattering and wood snapping in half from that brief second of contact. I jumped.

" _Listen_ to me, Rosalie," she snarled, saliva or venom spraying from her beautiful full lips. "You have a destiny, a destiny I intend to help you fulfill."

I shook my head, unsure if I even heard her right. "Rosalie Hale and her special destiny? That sounds like a bad cover band."

"Funny," spat Amunet, glaring at me with a force that made me want to vanish into thin air. I never felt true fear until this moment. "Join me and find that destiny, or perish at my hand."

I did not even have to think about my answer. "I won't join you. I won't join a monster, regardless of a destiny, and regardless of my mate."

Amunet took two threatening steps forward. "What do you even know of me? What Carlisle told you? Do you fear me because I am powerful? Do you fear me because I can _make you powerful_?"

"I fear you because you could kill me and I want…" Speaking became a struggle, my voice constricted with emotion. "I want to live."

Amunet sneered. "No better than a mortal."

"Maybe I am no better than a mortal." My lips parted as my eyes locked onto hers. I thought for a split second that she was about to end my life in one stroke.

Yet, she remained as still as a statue. Composed, beautiful, cold, _evil_.

"That much is evident," she coldly said, her lips contorted into a hateful grimace.

"And I know you wouldn't seduce me—or use a pretend destiny to tempt me—or make me love you or whatever you're trying. You love Angelique, don't you?"

Amunet's eyes flashed, clearly offended to the core. "I have loved her for centuries. I waited for her for a thousand years."

"Then…" I did not know what else to say. "Then you understand that I will not help you put my mate in harm's way."

Amunet threw the decorative plates from the table in one swoop of her arm. They shattered everywhere and I flinched. "I do not want to hurt her! I would be a fool to kill her!"

"You want to use her, and that is worse." I was going to die. I knew I was going to die. I was going to die for Bella Swan and I did not care.

Never did I imagine I would feel that way about anyone.

"I think you need to cool your heels in captivity." Amunet seized me by the arms. Her fierce grip _hurt_ , something I never felt before as a vampire. She dragged me to a basement and threw me down the stairs. I tumbled, tumbled, tumbled and looked up at two sets of glowing crimson eyes.

Red hair tickled my face as a sweet-smelling woman lifted me to my feet.

"You're the one dating that wolf freak, aren't you?" whispered the familiar voice.

I blinked several times and saw the nomads who helped kidnap my family.

"You were with James and Angelique," I said to the two dirty, subdued vampires.

" _Were_. I never liked the idea of working with that ancient lunatic," said the ginger woman, quite clearly referring to Amunet. "But James did, and he was the leader."

The dark skinned male vampire nodded in assent. "I tried to convince James otherwise."

"He had a knack for power trips," disdainfully remarked the woman.

The male casually tossed out, "Your mate."

The female chided, "Don't remind me."

I almost laughed, but managed to stop myself. This was no occasion for humor.

"I'm Victoria, and this is Laurent," the woman explained, gesturing loosely at the man.

"They caught you then," I whispered, my fear of Amunet and Angelique somehow growing even further. I did not know if I would get out of this one.

"Yes. That Angelique bitch is terrifying," Victoria said, bitterly frowning.

Silence.

Laurent smoothly brought up, "So, you only eat animals?"

"Yeah." I tried not to think about how that was no longer true as of today. "It's rewarding, and less messy. You should try it."

Laurent looked mildly intrigued, but Victoria just shook her head.

"I love killing too much to give it up," she casually explained, loosely waving her hand.

"I thought you just liked the taste," I mused, reflecting on my nightmarish dinner with Amunet. What I did made me feel dirty, made me hate myself, but I knew that no blood had ever tasted as good as what I experienced tonight. "The act of killing is not exclusive to vampires. Humans do it every day. In fact, I would say that murder is the truest inheritance of humanity."

Victoria stepped into the light and slowly shook her head, studying me closely. "Not poetry? Not art? Not culture? Not science? You think murder makes humans human?"

I contemplated the matter for a few seconds before admitting, "I suppose I do."

"Then it's a wonder you feel so guilty about eating them," remarked Victoria.

"I do not think highly of them," I explained in earnest, "but I also do not think my appetite matters more than their existence."

Yet, I proved not fifteen minutes ago that I thought my life mattered more than the existence of a woman who died in my arms. Died because of me. I bowed my head, ashamed.

James and Victoria did not say another word.

Neither did I.

[X]

After ages sitting in the dark basement with two nomadic vampires, Angelique strode down the stairs. She was almost as lovely as her mate. Glorious blonde hair and gleaming red eyes, her slender body without a single mark. Her lips were full and painted as scarlet as her irises.

She almost rivaled me. I thought I was better looking than her, however.

But someone more beautiful than me walked down with her. Amunet herself, fawn skin, crimson eyes, elaborately styled raven hair.

"Rosalie," said Amunet, stepping just past Angelique. I froze; Victoria and Laurent took several strides backwards into the darkest shadows. "It is time for you to watch the fate of your family. Time for my followers to see I am still capable. Time for you to realize what you can gain at my side."

I did not understand her insane ramblings about my _destiny_. I did not believe in destiny, or paths for people written in stone. I believed in chaos and chaos alone. Yet, she kept me alive, spared me from whatever fate she had planned for my family. Amunet's pursuit of my life sparked only confusion. Aro chased after Edward and Alice, desperate for their talents. That made sense. Initially, I believed Amunet was curious about Bella. Now, I was beginning to wonder just what she was hiding. Amunet watched me so hungrily…

She threw a skimpy white dress at me. I caught it in a swift move and held it up to my body.

"I'm not wearing this," I said with a sneer. Angelique's eyes flashed, but I feared her less than I feared Amunet. All I received from the first vampire was a patient, expectant smirk.

"You will wear it, or you will meet the same fate as Carlisle, Edward and Esme," viciously said Angelique, and I stripped down. I noticed Victoria and Laurent watching me, but I ignored it and changed, sliding out of my shoes and walking up the stairs beside Angelique.

We walked to the main foyer of the house. I did not see my coven; I saw only Amunet.

Where was my coven? I could not smell them or feel them. What if I already lost them? What if this was a lie? I saw no followers of Amunet. I learned at that moment that vampires could not cry, because I shook with false sobs, unaccompanied by tears.

My cold façade shattered into a thousand pieces.

Amunet turned to me. "My followers wait in the ballroom, as does your family."

We strode past the front door and suddenly Amunet halted, intently focused on something beyond me. Angelique furrowed her brow.

"What was that?" snapped Amunet.

"What did you hear, my love?" Angelique nervously asked in her enchanting French accent. She briefly loosened her grip on me. I wondered if it was time to escape, but fear stopped me again.

"There is someone outside," Amunet whispered. She then turned around and barked an order. "James, kindly restrain our guest of honor."

The blond vampire lunged out from behind—where I did not notice him earlier—and snatched me up from Angelique's arms. He twisted his grip fiercely into my arms. I considered breaking free; I knew I could escape him, but Amunet and Angelique scared me too much to try anything right now.

Suddenly, the door broke down and a hulking wolf leapt inside, her paws crushing down on the broken pile of wood.

"Bella!" I called out. James tugged me backwards.

Angelique spun around. Amunet stepped in front of her, shielding her mate from the snapping and snarling shifter.

"Well," said Angelique, glancing between Bella and I, "if it isn't Fay Wray and King Kong."

"Who?" asked Amunet in a hushed tone, narrowing her almond eyes.

"I'll—it's a movie—I'll catch you up later," Angelique hastily said, returning her focus to the werewolf who just crashed her party.

Bella bared her glistening sharp teeth.

I surveyed the possible weaknesses of James's grip.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

While Rosalie woke in the darkness, I paced on the sidewalk outside the abandoned Forks High School, waiting for Jake to arrive. Emmett drove me to the meeting place I decided upon—he and his siblings refused to let the wolves see their home—and now I was stuck, left helpless, seeking the reprieve of approaching headlights. Finally, my half-brother pulled up in my previously abandoned truck and hopped out.

Jake asked, "The leeches aren't with you, are they? They're not allowed in La Push."

"I know." I clenched my fists, already impatient. "So, just take me and I'll gather the pack."

"The pack." Jacob snorted. "You mean two guys and yourself?"

"Yeah. That pack. Hopefully you'll be part of it one day so maybe treat it with some more respect." Pause. "There's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Jake asked as he began to drive.

I turned to face him from the passenger seat. "A rampaging ancient vampire who kidnapped my imprint problem!"

Jacob squinted at me and slowly sounded out, "Rampaging… ancient… vampire?"

"Who kidnapped my imprint!" I snapped, smashing my hand down on the dashboard.

He flinched and resumed driving. "Okay, okay. I get it. We rescue the leech."

"We rescue _my imprint_!" I thoughtlessly screeched, crashing my foot against the dashboard.

Jacob squeezed the steering wheel and nodded. "Okay, okay, rescue mission initiated."

As we drove, I remarked, "I always daydreamed about being a damsel in distress. I think it's kind of sexy to need saving. To be tied to a post waiting for my true love to sweep me off my feet. But I'm the one doing the rescuing this time." Pause. "Rosalie owes me one."

"Owes you one what?" Jacob asked, eyes stuck on the road.

I said in earnest, "She owes me a gallant rescue next time I'm in trouble. I can't be the _only_ one saving the pretty girl from her doomed fate. Relationships require reciprocity."

Jake snorted. I smiled for a moment before I remembered my predicament.

"Just drive," I pleaded, and Jacob obliged.

[X]

We arrived on a familiar driveway: Billy's house. My dad's house, I supposed. We walked to the door and I knocked with trembling hands. After a few moments of waiting on the porch, I saw movement behind the door and it opened.

"Emily," I said. She stood before me, gently holding the doorknob. I saw bandages on her face and felt as if someone punched me in the gut. "I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault," she said, but I was certain she was lying. "I forgave Sam, and I forgive you as well. I'm happy you came home."

She stepped aside, allowing Jacob and I to walk inside. Billy waited, looking uneasy.

"Bella…" He cleared his throat. "I worried you would never come back."

"I wouldn't be much of an alpha if I didn't."

"You're not just the leader of the wolf pack. You're… my daughter. I owe you… more than I gave." Billy averted his eyes.

"I had Charlie," I said, attempting to comfort him. "He's… my dad."

It only hit me after I spoke that those words might hurt Billy. If it offended him, he did not show it, and so I moved on. The clock was ticking for Rosalie.

Sam strode in, Jared a few steps behind him. I turned to Jake and shot him an inquisitive glance.

"I called them all when you texted. When the alpha summons them, I guess they come."

"We do," said Sam, his eyes downcast.

"My imprint was captured by an ancient vampire. Alice and Emmett and Jasper told me about her. Her name is Amunet and she is a threat to everyone, including La Push. She was the first vampire ever created, and she is much more powerful than any other vampire alive."

"Alive," scoffed Sam and I glared until he shut his mouth.

"She's strong, she's dangerous, and we need to stop her. We need to get Rosalie back too. When an imprint is in danger… it hurts. It hurts, okay? We need to save her and we need to make sure Amunet can't threaten us anymore," I said and, to my relief, both Jared and Sam nodded.

"What do we do?" Sam asked, and I was surprised at his deference. I thought he would try to seize command yet again. Maybe Emily humbled him; maybe he just acknowledge I knew more about what happened to Rosalie today. I still doubted our rivalry was over.

"We track the scent of Rosalie and find her, wherever Amunet is keeping her," I stated, glancing between Jared and Sam. "I could've gone alone, but I know we're stronger as a pack. Amunet has a cult of followers, and she was with three other vampires when she caught the Cullens and I off guard. We're facing something big and dangerous. Are you up to it?"

Jared grinned. "It'll be the time of my life."

"This isn't a game. This is a war." I was scared out of my mind, but I forced myself to look strong and stand tall. They needed to respect me.

Jared bowed his head. Sam walked towards me.

"We're wasting time," he stated. "Let's save the leech from the worse leeches."

"Let's save my imprint from evil vampires," I corrected and he shrugged one shoulder.

"Same thing."

I grabbed his arm. "Not the same thing. By helping me, you are acknowledging that Rosalie is my imprint and she better be treated as one. I'm sorry for what happened. I'm sorry for hurting Emily. I'm sorry for running. I think about it all day every day. I feel beyond guilty. But it's not time for guilt. It's time to do what we were created to do."

Sam nodded again. He did not seem to want to exchange many words and I had no problem with that. In fact, it was somewhat of a relief.

Billy nodded towards the kitchen. "Your purse is in there. I figured you'd want to pick up your stuff."

"Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna be a wolf for the entire night at least, so I guess I'll have to grab my stuff when I get back. Maybe we can have dinner and watch a game." I hoped that expressed how I wanted to get to know him not as a vague family friend but as a father.

Emily kissed Sam fiercely. I turned away, ashamed to see the bandages that brushed against his skin. They embraced for several seconds before my pack became composed.

I bid Jacob and Billy goodbye, and Sam, Jared and I took off into the yard.

We transformed almost in perfect unison before running to the car. I grabbed Rosalie's sweater with my teeth and shared the scent with them.

The powers gifted to us by our ancestors took command.

We ran and ran through the woods.

After meeting up with Alice, Jasper and Emmett, we took off on a journey at supernatural speed.

It took us four hours to arrive on the hiking trails surrounding Crater Lake, even as vampires and shifters.

[X]

The scent emanated strongly from a huge abandoned cabin masked by the thick forest. We emerged from the hiking trails and stalked through the woods surrounding the summer mansion that must belong to a loaded family. It vaguely reminded me of the Cullen's home, but bigger and spookier.

Alice said, "Emmett and Jazz and I are going to go try to sneak in around the back. I had a vague vision about Carlisle and I think it can help us. You guys should focus on Rosalie, if you want."

I nodded at them before they dashed away to execute their own plan.

I stopped and communicated to the others with my mind.

 _I want you two to wait out here. Listen carefully and be prepared to jump in on the fight. I to surprise them and make them think it's just me. I'll relay tactical information through my thoughts._

The wolf versions of Sam and Jared nodded in assent.

I ran away from them, hoping they would back me up. I ran away from them, hoping that I was not about to face a huge mansion filled with powerful vampires.

It should have hurt to break down the door, when splinters shoved into my skin through my fur, but I did not feel any pain. The adrenaline rushed through my veins more fiercely than it ever had in my entire life. I could feel nothing but rage.

I drank in my surroundings. Rosalie was locked in the arms of James, Angelique stood sneering, and the dark and domineering woman by her side must be the crazy ancient vampiress Amunet. I braced myself for a fight.

"Well," said Angelique, glancing between Rosalie and I, "if it isn't Fay Wray and King Kong."

I bared my teeth, growled, and narrowed my eyes.

I was here to rescue my imprint, not to entertain evil vampires.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

Two more wolves joined Bella, snapping and snarling.

They were smaller, but still intimidating. I hoped the strange and dangerous creatures would give Amunet, James and Angelique pause.

But Angelique raised her arms, palms turned to either side of her, and suddenly, the room darkened. The shadows had the consistency of smoke, but I could not smell a fire. Angelique's gift, I would assume. She held in her hands the ability to plunge the world into darkness. I found it fitting, given her alleged schemes with Amunet.

"Stay back. I doubt this fight will take long," ordered Amunet, and I saw the silhouette of Angelique taking slow steps towards the wall. After her mate moved away, the first vampire strode through the shadows, her red eyes glowing eerily in the darkness unlike any others I ever had seen.

Before Bella or her friends could pounce, the door burst open. I squinted through the smoke and saw Jasper and Alice come running through, chaos clearly in their wake. I see the rest of my family safe on their heels. Then I see the two-dozen silhouettes of pissed off vampires chasing them.

I did not want to think about how many of them could have gifts.

The wolves attacked, as did the vampires, and I felt James's grip loosen. Letting out a small scream of strain, I tore myself free and kicked him backwards. He ran at me, grasping for my arms, and I punched him square in the face. It made him briefly stumble, but he continued his pursuit. I dodged his fists and stepped deeper into the smoke.

I could see nothing in the pitch black, but that meant he could not either.

Then I witnessed a flash of blinding red light emanating from Amunet. She moved through the shadows like a shark through smooth water. Her claws landed on one of the wolves and she threw him to the wall like she was tossing something as light as a paper airplane. He fell limp after impact.

"The prisoners are free!" screamed Angelique and her shadows faintly faded.

I saw half the vampires were dressed in white. I did not recognize any of them except for my own coven. Alice smiled at me and I knew it must have been her who released everyone Amunet intended to kill. The rest of the vampires, however, were fighting with the others; they could be none other than her cult of devout followers.

Darkness fell again once Angelique alerted the cult of the prison break. Only the red light around Amunet like an aura illuminated anything in the pitch-black room.

 _What is she?_ was all I could think, and my hesitation led James to grab me by the arm and spin me around. I heard the fight between prisoners and cultists, but saw only the blond vampire in front of me. He bared his fangs, shimmering with venom.

I jumped towards him, but a large paw knocked me out of the way. I skittered back and saw a gleam in Bella's beautiful russet eyes.

She locked onto James, growling like a true beast.

Bella tore him to shreds with her fangs and claws. It was like nothing I had ever seen before in my long, long life. A flurry of cold vampiric blood and white limbs. His head rolled to rest at my feet.

James was no more.

The world was better off for it, but it earned Bella the attention of our enemies.

I ran to her side, my fingers brushing across her fur as I moved. Her chest rumbled with a sound I found oddly reassuring. The moment I smelled that blood I deeply longed to spill, I knew I was battling beside the greatest ally I could find. My… mate. The mate I wanted to kill for the sweetness of her blood, the mate who was born as a beast designed to kill me. The mate who came here to save my life, the mate I would rescue at any cost.

"Ready, Bella?" I asked under my breath.

She growled in assent.

We joined the clash of silhouettes, shadows, and the hopes we did not harm anyone who did not deserve it. When one attacker came on strong, Bella broke free of me and I ran to shove a vampire in white away from one of Amunet's cultists.

As I rose, I saw those glowing red eyes.

They turned and fixated on me.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Emmett making his way through the clash of monsters. The wolves were occupied, and he headed directly towards Amunet, the smoke masking most of his movements. Quickly, hoping to help him, I locked eyes with her.

"How do you know I have a destiny?" I asked.

"Is this the proper time to ask such things?" Amunet demanded, her eyes flashing as she glanced around her at the raging fight in the middle of a parlor.

The honesty in my voice surprised me when I desperately pleaded, "I need to know now! I need to know! Please!"

"I have seen it. It is my gift," said Amunet as Emmett launched into a fist fight with a vampire trying to block his path. "A grand plan tethers everyone together. I see the world, see patterns, see things no one else does. My vision is perfectly clear. I've witnessed the plan. I have seen centuries into the future while lying locked in that coffin, and what I saw of you…" Pause. "Well, there is a reason I went after Carlisle before any of the other vampires who unjustly imprisoned me. I _know_ your destiny, just like I know everyone else's."

"You could just tell me! You could just tell me my destiny!" I ferociously shouted over the fight, shaking my head as I spoke.

Emmett began to lunge at Amunet. I held my breath.

"It is not that simple." Amunet swished her hand through the air and those claws she called nails sliced open the side of Emmett's face.

I screamed and ran forward. She punched me in the chest, sending me soaring through the air. My back crashed against the wall and I crumbled to the floor. I was lost for a few moments, until a hand suddenly grabbed mine and pulled me to my feet. Red hair grazed against my face as the woman I met in the basement helped me regain my balance.

"Victoria?" I murmured, squinting in the darkness.

"Yeah," she replied, tugging on me again. "The weird short girl from your ball game freed me and Laurent to help."

"To help?" I asked, unsure when Alice even found this time. It must have been a vision, but I wondered what kind.

Victoria scoffed. "You think I'm siding with that lunatic?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Good," purred that enticing voice. "Then help out."

Victoria dragged me back into the fight.

[X]

I never once thought a vampire could tire until this moment.

Throwing my fist one more time seemed as if it would be impossible.

Then, suddenly, "Leave us! I want to speak to the Cullens and their pets!" ordered Amunet, and Angelique removed the veil of shadows that clogged the room.

No one could stop the remaining cultists from dragging away the remaining prisoners. Maybe we should have tried. I know Alice and Jasper twitched towards them, but we all stood mute, even Carlisle and Esme petrified by the woman before them. Alice gently released Victoria and Laurent and they stepped back to stand with my family.

If Amunet did not want the two of them there, she did not mention it. Hell, maybe they would end up joining us after this wild ordeal.

"Alice," said Amunet in that terrifying double timbre not of this world. My sister froze in place. "Mary Alice Brandon, do you remember me? Do you?"

Alice's eyelashes fluttered. "What?"

 _No, don't hesitate!_ I wanted to shout, but I could not summon the strength.

"I haven't seen you in centuries," purred the first vampire, striding towards the psychic. "I wondered if you would pursue Carlisle. It disappointed me you joined his golden-eyed coven."

"I've never met you. I don't know you," insisted Alice, and Jasper tugged on her arm.

Amunet breathed, "Yes, you do. Think about it. Remember, instead of foreseeing."

Carlisle gently brushed Alice and Jasper aside.

"Amunet, she may not, but I know you well," said Carlisle, stepping in front of our family as if he could protect us all. Perhaps he thought he could, but I knew better.

Amunet narrowed her eerie glowing red eyes, "You think you do."

Carlisle sternly states, shoulders squared, "I think I know—we _both_ know—that no more of our kind need to be sacrificed on your altar of revenge today."

Silence.

A soft smile spread on Amunet's face. It gave me chills.

"You're right. No more of _our kind_ need to be sacrificed on my altar of revenge today." Before anyone could react, she lashed out to the side and sliced Bella right open.

I let out a wordless cry of horror and rage.

Wolf Bella hit the ground and whimpered twice before falling silent. I choked and leapt upwards, bolting towards the monster in the middle of the darkened room. Esme lunged for me but fell short. Amunet turned to me, eyes glowing that alien hue of red I never had seen before.

Amunet demanded, "Fulfill your destiny and I will let your wolf live."

I hesitated. My instinct was to try to fight her with fangs and sharp nails but I knew I was not going to destroy the madness before me. So, I slowed down and locked eyes with the first vampire.

"You promise? You promise you won't hurt Bella?" I breathlessly inquired.

Amunet faintly faded as her feet again touched the floor. "I promise."

"Okay," I said, taking a few steps towards her. "I'll join your… cult. I'll fulfill my destiny, as long as I can bring Bella with me."

"Are you insane?" yelped Victoria, but I glanced backwards for a flicker of a second at Edward and Alice. Their calmness prevented my coven from intervening; Alice knew what I would do next and Edward could see the plans unfolding in my mind.

I turned to Victoria. "No. I am saner than all of you trying to fight this. Is Aro any better?"

The light faded further. I walked towards Amunet. She held open her arms, prepared for an embrace, and I wondered what destiny she witnessed, what she saw with her gift, what could be so important about _me_ that she would be willing to stop her battle to snatch me up.

I started to move into her arms, but I darted to the side at the last minute. Knowing well that she could strike me down, I leapt at Angelique, tackling her to the rough hardwood floor. Amunet let out an unearthly scream as my fist collided with Angelique's face.

She was as strong as any vampire, precisely as strong as me, unlike her mate. She struggled against me and landed a bite on my neck. I barely felt the pain as I smashed the back of her head down against the floor. I clenched my hands down on her neck, ready to tear her apart.

One of Bella's pack ran to join me and instantly Amunet threw him against the wall. But that was a distraction, and Bella pounced. At that moment, Amunet ran forward and shoved us both backwards. Bella and I soared uncontrollably until we hit the creaky wooden wall.

Before I could recover or anyone else in the room could fight further, the first vampire and her mate were gone. Just _gone_. The smoke and darkness receded and I looked around at slain vampires and wounded wolves.

My Bella transformed back into a human. Her wounds were not as a bad as I thought they would be. Just scratches, dripping a bit of blood on her glistening pale skin, and a few bruises. I imagined Carlisle ought to examine them, even if she could heal at the rate of Wolverine.

I walked to her and kissed her passionately on the lips.

Bella blushed as our lips broke free. "I'm… I'm naked."

I could not help but smirk.

"It's fine by me." But, seeing her discomfort, I removed my white dress and helped her drape it over her naked body. "Don't worry. I have a change of clothes in the basement."

She stood mute for a moment, frozen in place, staring at me with wide russet eyes.

"Am I glittering or something?" I winked.

Bella made a small choking sound.

After a few seconds, I seized Bella by the hand and strode through the house, then back down the damp, creaky stairs. Waiting for me lay a pile of clothes I stripped out of when Angelique and Amunet gave me my melodramatic virginal white garments.

Slowly, I slid my clothes back on and smiled at Bella in the shadows.

[X]

The wolves—save for Bella—returned to La Push after the fight, while the rest of us—including Victoria and Laurent—lurked in the Cullen Manor while Carlisle patched us up and analyzed the aftermath of our battle with Amunet, Angelique and their cult.

Edward and Tanya sat on the loveseat. He kept brushing her hair aside and asking if she was okay. Alice leaned against the window, looking distant, and Jasper stood stolid and silent beside the love of his life. Emmett was in the care of Carlisle, fixing his face. Whatever Amunet was made of, it was nothing any of us had seen before, because it left a nasty gash in his skin. Esme spoke softly to Victoria and Laurent near me. They were discussing their decision to end their nomad life. Laurent seemed more reluctant than Victoria, but Esme remained kind and impartial, as she always did.

Bella and I held hands on the sofa, staring ahead at the blank television.

I kept thinking about drinking human blood. The rich flavor. The scent of Bella beside me was a thousand times harder to endure. After seeing her destroy James, I thought perhaps she would be the first to slip up and end my life. Now I thought maybe I would be the one to make the first mistake. I ate humans. I committed murder.

How could I tell my family that?

I needed to get it off my chest, but I was too ashamed to find the words.

My brother interrupted my racing thoughts by stepping away from Carlisle and striding towards me, "How does my face look?" asked Emmett, gesturing to where a nasty gash once was.

"No worse than usual," I teased, and he broke out in a big grin.

He laughed. "That's a relief."

"Women love scars," I said, smiling softly at my pseudo-brother.

"If it helps," said Bella, "I don't see a thing. You're still creepily gorgeous to me."

I playfully protested, "Hey!"

"You're more gorgeous, Rose," Bella said sincerely, a gleam in her eyes.

"I know it." I batted my eyelashes.

"That she is," purred Victoria. "Prettiest vamp I've ever seen, at least."

Bella and I spun simultaneously to look at her.

"She's my girlfriend," Bella said fiercely, glaring at the family's new red-eyed friend.

"I can appreciate a beautiful woman. That's all." The ginger vampire winked at me.

I set my hand over Bella's.

It was cute that she felt jealous, but she had nothing to worry about.

[X]

Seconds after kissing Bella goodbye and watching her truck pull out of the driveway, I said softly to Tanya, "I think I…"

"Love her?" Tanya said, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

I blinked several times. "Yes. How did you…?"

Tanya said with a small smile, "Anyone could see you two are in love."

"How?" I shook my head, lips twitching. "Love isn't visible unless people are making out and that could just be lust."

Tanya caught my gaze and held it. "It's in your eyes."

"Our eyes?" I shook my head.

Tanya explained softly, "She looks at you like you're the most amazing creature who ever lived. Like you're a sun and she's a planet revolving around you eternally."

I waved my hand dismissively. "I know. I'm her imprint, or whatever."

"But, the thing is, ever since your date, you've started looking at her funny too."

" _How_?"

Tanya explained, gilded eyes twinkling in the light, "Like the moon looking at the sun. Like for the first time in your life, you feel warm."

I thought about it for a moment, but perhaps I did not need to contemplate. Perhaps I knew.

It did not pain me as much as I thought it would when I admitted, "You're right. When I look at her, I do feel warm for the first time in my life."

Tanya smiled and touched my shoulder.

"I won't tell anyone. Don't worry," she said, calming my fears before I could even voice them.

I icily said, stepping back and away from her grasp, "You know me too well."

Tanya just coyly smiled and strode away.

Behind her stood Victoria, arms gently crossed. I walked towards her.

"Are you and Laurent staying?" I asked, eyeing her closely. My first thought was disdain for her red eyes and choice to kill, but not long ago, I drank human blood. I was no better than her now.

"I am. Laurent wants to go to Alaska."

"To the Denali Sisters?"

"Something like that. I wasn't paying much attention."

"James was your mate. Are you okay?"

"He made mistakes. He sided with Amunet. I stayed by him like a fool. I believe that you can have more than one soulmate. I believe that you can make mistakes and think the person you love is your mate when really it's just strong affection. I do not find myself as tethered to him as I believed I would be," she admitted. "Esme said I could stay with you."

"That would be nice. You seem… fine."

' She laughed. "Fine? Just fine."

I coolly explained, "For now, fine. I do not know you yet."

Victoria inquired with desperate ruby eyes, "Do you want to know me?"

"Jury's still out." I gave her a polite smile and strode up to my bedroom.

I felt her eyes on me as I walked away.

[X]

After everyone settled in, I approached Carlisle in his office.

"Carlisle," I said softly, and he turned around, "something is troubling me."

I wanted to tell him about the human blood. I wanted to tell someone.

"What is it?" he asked, and I panicked. I could not confess to him, but I did have other concerns. At least I could address them, even if I could not reveal what Amunet made me do.

"Amunet," I said. "She… she said something. She said I had… a destiny."

Carlisle frowned and gently explained, "Amunet is insane. She went mad long before she was buried alive, and I can't imagine her mind is anywhere near intact after being trapped in that coffin for centuries. Don't take her seriously."

"Oh." I furrowed my brow. "She asked me to join her."

"Why would she need to ask if she really knew your destiny?"

"You're… you're right."

Yet, for some reason, I struggled to believe him. Perhaps I was merely conceited, but I wondered if Amunet was right.

Maybe I _did_ have a destiny.

And that thought terrified me to the core.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

A week after the incident with Amunet, I sat on my couch next to Alice. Rosalie went out hunting and I was left lonely, so I called up my best friend in Forks for a movie night.

Plus, I needed her help with something top secret. Rosalie could not know about it.

"I want to come up with a good way to ask her to prom," I said to Alice.

"Rescuing her from Amunet's cult probably counts."

"She's not an—an NPC in a video game who I can—can do a mission for and then get in her pants. She's a person. The person I'm going to spend my whole life with."

Alice clapped her hands together, grinning brightly. "Okay, okay, so I help you come up with the world's best promposal. Got it!"

Puzzled, I asked, "Promposal?"

"It's a thing. Do you _never_ watch MTV?" Alice shook her head with a chastising expression.

"Not really," I sheepishly admitted.

Alice instantly rattled off into a thousand elaborate ideas involving cakes and tennis balls and ribbons. I agreed halfheartedly to each increasingly crazy plan.

In the end, we came to no consensus but promised to revisit it the next day.

After she cheerfully left, kissing both of my cheeks and prancing into the sunset, I started to shake. I was socially inept. _Really_ socially inept.

Even if Rosalie and I were technically a couple, prom placed a great weight on my shoulders.

It was supposed to be perfect.

You were supposed to ask out the girl with magnificent style and grace.

Of which I had neither.

Yikes.

[X]

If there was anything I loved about Rosalie, it was the midnight texts. I guess a girl with insomnia had to be grateful that vampires never slept.

Tonight, though, something changed about the messages.

 _Do you want me to come over?_ she asked.

My thumbs froze over my phone. I did not know what to type in response.

 _Yeah. When?_

 _How about now? I can be there in five._

 _You live across town._

 _Vampire, remember?_

 _I'd love to see you then. Just don't wake Charlie._

 _Wait for me._

I tried to stay in bed but ended up pacing back and forth, messing with my hair, trying to look at least half as good as someone who deserved Rosalie Hale. I changed pajamas into something I decided was between modest and attractive—the big T-shirt I was in felt both too frumpy and too sexy at the same time.

Finally, I heard a tapping on my window and stifled a scream of surprise with the sweaty palm of my hand.

Slowly, I walked over and opened the window. The beautiful Rosalie Hale slipped into my room and stood across from me with that cocky, beautiful, beauty queen smile.

She kissed me gently. When she pulled away she looked slightly pained.

"What is it?" I whispered, glancing to the bed but deciding not to sit down. It seemed too much like an invitation. "What's wrong?"

"Your blood. I told you it was tempting. It's only a matter of time before we slip up," said Rosalie and I somewhat fondly remembered her kissing my fingers as she explained in the forest on our first date. "Kissing you makes me think about ripping out your throat."

"That's terrifying," I said, holding back a laugh. "But I bet a wolf could take it."

' "I hope so," said Rosalie. "Not that I'm planning on doing it ever."

Silence.

"Wanna sit down?" I asked, weaving backwards onto the bed and patting it beside me. Then I blushed, worried that seemed too much like I was beckoning a pet.

"I want to tell you something," Rosalie said. "Something I didn't tell my family. Something I _couldn't_ tell my family. I drank human blood."

"When?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Amunet made me. Before you got there," she said and I felt a rumble of rage surging in my chest. I wasn't angry at her, of course, but at myself. I should have protected her. I should have done a better job. "And it was—it was a bad experience, a horrible experience—but it was good. It tasted good. I don't want it again but I have to admit it makes you harder to resist."

My lips gently parted. I did not know what words could make her feel better.

"I'm sorry," was all I imagined, averting my eyes and clasping my hands. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I have handled worse," demurred Rosalie, striding over and sitting beside me. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"As long as you sneak out before Charlie wakes up," I said, my heart thundering. I did not think I was ready for sex. I hoped she was not proposing it. Of course, it did not seem like something Rosalie would try. She was too perfect, too old-fashioned.

We shimmied under the blankets and laid side by side.

I closed my eyes and savored the feeling.

This was what I was made for. This was what I never had. This was seeing colors I never knew existed.

"I felt useless in that fight," whispered Rosalie. "I tried, but you shouldn't have had to…"

"You weren't useless," I earnestly insisted, trying to keep my tone as quiet as possible. "You saved us all in the end."

"In the _end_ ," breathed Rosalie. "A lot of people were hurt first. _You_ were hurt first."

"I heal fast."

"That does not change the fact that I almost—you almost—we almost died."

"What's life without a few near-death experiences?" I joked.

Rosalie moved closer to me and draped her arm over my body.

"Thanks," she said, but I did not think I made her feel any better. I wished I could.

Her skin was ice cold against my fever. The sun and the moon bound together beneath outdated blankets Charlie bought for me. Our fingers intertwined.

"Does it bother you?" suddenly whispered Rosalie.

"What? Snuggling?" I smirked.

"Don't say snuggling," Rosalie chided. She then composed herself. "Does it bother you that you don't have a choice? You can't choose who you love, because you were born to love me and only me. It's not fair. I think people, monsters, whatever we are, whatever anyone else is, we deserve free will above all else."

"I'm happy loving you."

"But maybe your wolf brain just tells you that. Maybe you're blind."

"You're scared about Amunet telling you that you have a destiny."

Rosalie took an uncomfortably long amount of time to respond. "I believe in fate. God. Threads that bind us. Maybe I should believe in destiny, but I don't believe it's right to force someone to fall in love and give them no way out."

"A lot of maybes tonight, Rose."

"My life is made of maybes."

I faintly laughed. "Mine too."

Silence.

"Do we have any choices? Any choices in this world?"

"Yeah, uh, you have one." Okay, this was not the promposal Alice wanted, but it was the one that felt right to me. "Do you wanna go to prom? Together? As a couple? As a prom date couple?"

"I would enjoy that, Bella Swan."

I couldn't stop grinning like a fool after she answered.

[X]

The weeks before prom went smoothly. No ancient vampires attacked me. No new wolves joined my pack, to Jacob's dismay. I made no progress in my relationship with Billy. Every day I ate lunch with Rosalie and we learned more about each other.

We barely mentioned the dance, even though the school was abuzz. Alice picked out my dress before me, something couture I wore to make her happy.

Suddenly, a few days before the dance, at lunch, Rosalie blurted out, "So, after prom, do we intend to… indulge in all-American activities?"

I furrowed my brow. "Uhm, all-Amer— _ohhh_." It hit me. Sex. We were talking about sex. "I dunno. Do you want to?"

Rosalie quietly said with an intense expression, "Do you want to?"

"I… this is my first relationship," I nervously explained.

"It is also my first relationship." She bit her lower lip.

"I don't really know what to… to… to do… in the south."

"The south?"

"South of the Mason-Dixon line of your pants."

Rosalie laughed. It was infectious. I laughed too.

"Well, we are not ordinary high-schoolers. We have an eternity to… get to know each other that way. How about we keep it at first base?" Rosalie decided and I nodded.

After a moment's thought, I added, "Maybe second."

She smiled and stared at her designer heels.

[X]

The prom was as cheesy as one could imagine. The theme was Under the Sea and the green and blue balloons almost made me laugh. Streamers in matching colors twisted into a misspelled lyric, the scotch tape fraying. Silly seahorse stickers clung to almost every surface. The lights were the only impressive thing; they danced as if we were truly underwater, moving in tandem with the music the DJ spat out for the rowdy young people.

I sat at a table alone with Rosalie, her cold hand gently resting on my boiling hot one. Jessica ran off with Mike. Alice was with Jasper spinning impressively on the dance floor, attracting endless positive attention from the humans. Rosalie and I made lovely small talk for the entire night, but something deeper pried at me.

At last I caved in and asked, "Do you remember being a kid?"

"Vaguely," Rosalie said, shrugging one shoulder.

I took a sip of punch that did not encourage me as much as I hoped it would.

"I mean," I said. "I do. Which isn't surprising since I'm a lot younger than you, but uh… I remember being a kid. I'd play in the woods and I had this treehouse my mom's boyfriend helped me build and I would make up a little family and I'd play pretend and everything and make little meals out of bark and leaves. It seems stupid—"

"It seems normal." Rosalie softly smiled.

"I stopped thinking about it. I never thought much about marriage or babies or any of that. It never was too important to me. But now with this imprint thing, and with you, and we're going to be together forever. We're going to live together and maybe get married if you want and maybe have puppies if you want—"

"Puppies?" Rosalie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

My cheeks heated and flushed bright red. "Kids. I said puppies because I was trying to make a joke about me being a wolf."

Rosalie picked at her lip in a terrifying silence for a moment.

She whispered, "Kids?"

My heart leapt into my throat. "Does that scare you off? I'm so sorry. I…"

"Kids don't sound all that bad." She gave a soft smile with glassy golden eyes.

"Good." I said, although I thought perhaps I upset her. She seemed different after that statement, but I could not figure out exactly how. "I'm just a little scared because this feels like the first step into that forever. Are we ready for forever?"

"No," said Rosalie and I felt like she stabbed a sharp icicle into my chest. What had I done wrong? "But we're ready for tonight, and I'd say we ought to worry about prom before the domestic bliss of pot roasts and puppies."

I could not help but smile.

I was being thoroughly honest when I replied, "Okay. I'm cool with that."

"Shall we dance, Bella Swan?" Rosalie stood and took my hand in hers.

"That sounds really nice," I said as we strode over to the floor. A slow dance R&B song played smoothly like a bedroom jam.

Rosalie and I danced. She was better at it than me and I let her lead.

At least I stopped being so damned clumsy after growing fur and claws.

It felt perfect. Like I was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

Rosalie dipped me, and my heart fluttered. As she slowly raised me back to my feet, her lips brushed against mine and I felt true, pure Heaven flooding through my red-hot veins.

In a land of gods and monsters, I found paradise.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

"Bella is Italian, right?" I asked as I squinted at the Cullen Manor kitchen television set. It was of far lower quality than our others due to the simple fact that we spent very little time in here.

Emmett looked up from his game. "I dunno. Some people just name their kids Isabella."

I rolled my eyes and returned my focus to the dusty cookbook Esme dug up for me. "Very helpful. Whatever. Humans like Italian food."

Emmett started laughing and I prepared for the worst of it.

"Are you learning to cook for her?" He wiggled his bushy eyebrows.

I crossed my arms and leaned back slightly. "So, what if I'm learning to cook? I appreciate learning new skills. If I did not, immortality would be quite boring."

He laughed. "It's going to taste terrible. You don't even remember what good food tastes like, I bet. I don't and I'm younger than you."

I glowered at my brother as I said regally, "I will follow the recipe to the letter. It will taste marvelous and our date will be fantastic."

Emmett gave an exaggerated, mocking sigh and said, "She'll probably pretend it tastes good, at least."

I worked on my recipe for a moment before a realization hit me.

"She should've texted me by now. Where's my phone? Do you have it?"

Emmett grunted, "Why would I have your phone?"

"Just check under you!" I ordered.

Emmett said, while standing to show me he wasn't hiding my phone, "You probably left it in the bathroom. You do that after every other shower you take."

"Good point." I scurried up the stairs to the bathroom claimed by the family ladies.

The shower thundered inside, and I could feel the steam from through the pale white walls.

I knocked on the door. "I left my phone in there! Can you hand it to me?"

"Just come in!" called Victoria's voice.

I twisted the doorknob and stepped slowly and hesitantly into the foggy bathroom. I saw a flash of red hair behind the grey curtain and averted my eyes.

"Sorry," I said hastily, and then quickly snatched my phone from the damp countertop.

As fast as I could, I stepped out of the bathroom and loudly shut the door behind me.

When I looked at my phone, I saw a text from Bella. _I'm going to be a little late. I need to check on Jacob; I just heard that he started going through the change today,_ it read in bright letters on a lime background.

I tried not to be heartbroken, but my beautiful chicken parm was in the oven and I was entirely ready to give her a romantic dinner and a lovely dance. Lips pursed, I walked to the record player in my room and starting thumbing through the albums.

Suddenly, someone walked in behind me and I jumped.

"Did no one ever teach you to knock first?" I demanded, spinning to see my new "sister," Victoria the ginger murderer.

Her hair was soaked and she wore my fluffy pale pink robe and Alice's panda slippers. She smirked with those rosy lips as she knocked on my open door.

"Better?" She winked.

"Funny." I scowled.

She walked forward and started looking at the records beside me. "Choosing something for your date, are you?"

"Yes. I intend to have a candlelit dinner and a dance and see where we end up." It only occurred to me moments after speaking that that sounded sexual.

Victoria purred, "Classy and archaic. I think the human will appreciate it."

I selected The Mighty Hannibal and begin to open it before Victoria set her hand on mine to stop me. She held up another album, Julie London of all artists.

"Play this one for her. Trust me; it's better." Victoria smoothly set the record on the player and touched the needle to the first groove. The crackling, sexy tune began to play, and she closed her eyes softly. "I love this song. Don't you love this song?"

"Well, it is _my_ album," I said crisply.

She slips off her slippers and rolls back her shoulders as the music begins. I watch her sway, her red hair flashing behind her. I think she wants me to dance too; I imagine Victoria is still trying to befriend me, as she has the rest of my family. Yet, I am more tentative to accept strangers than the rest of the Cullens. It was hard enough for Bella to break through, and I love Bella.

Victoria danced so smoothly. I bite my lower lip and move slightly to the beat. She sees me dancing and grabs me by the hands. We begin to spin. She closes her eyes as the song rises. I wonder what it is like to enjoy life as vividly as she does. She looks at me and licks her lips and I step back.

"I'm not interested. Stop flirting with me," I said coolly, trying to draw these ever important lines in the sand with my new coven member.

Victoria scoffed, making me feel like a sea slug. "I'm not hitting on you. I just want to be your friend. I like you. I want you to like me."

"And all that sexy dancing?" I demanded, trying _desperately_ to defend my point and avoid embarrassment at her hands.

Victoria shrugged one shoulder. "Just how I dance to songs I like. I need to feel the rhythm. Do you ever go to concerts?"

"Rarely."

"I love them. I would hunt at them when I still drank human blood. But before I hunted, I would stand in the center of the huge crowd and I would close my eyes and just feel the rhythm and wild emotion wash over me. I'd just melt into that human madness. I can feel a little of that listening to music alone."

I couldn't help but remark, "It must be nice to not be so… reserved."

"I think it's the fact that I used to have crimson eyes. You enjoy life more when you drink human blood."

"I don't have a taste for it."

"Not at all? You don't go in public and smell someone sweet and think about what Amunet made you do?"

 _Yes,_ I think.

"No," I say.

"Fine. Convince yourself of that. I gave up human blood and I try not to miss it. But I know one thing that makes the ice princess tremble."

"What? You think it's you, I bet?"

"I'm not as full of myself as you assume. What you want, what you think about too often at night, is Bella Swan. You want to screw her senseless."

"I wouldn't even know how to start."

"I've slept with plenty of women. Would you like some advice?"

"Have you slept with many shape-shifting werewolves?"

"No. They were all humans who didn't survive the night, but I think the mechanics are the same, Miss Ice Princess Virgin. She's just strong enough to survive it."

"I want to sleep with her. Just not yet."

"So, you planned a romantic night in the house where your bed is without any plans to try something on her?"

"Yes."

Victoria shrugged as the song ended, and she slid Alice's slippers back on.

She left without another word.

[X]

I could not stop thinking about my conversation with Victoria as I finished cooking Bella's dinner and served it for her as she sat awkwardly at the kitchen table.

"I hope it doesn't taste like dirt."

"It smells amazing," said Bella. "Way better than the stuff I heat up for my dad. This belongs in some fancy restaurant or something."

"Perhaps you ought to taste it before you laud its praises."

I sat down across from her and faintly smiled. Bella shoved a bite into her mouth and exaggerated a pleased reaction. I pursed my lips to suppress a laugh.

In a strained voice, Bella said, "It's good. It really is."

I rubbed my lips together and said, "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I can ask Carlisle to pick up some takeout on his way home, if you'd like."

"No. No, it's… great. Just a little bit raw and… burned." Bella set down her fork.

I asked, "Both at the same time?"

"I like my meat rare."

"Not your chicken. I might be a vampire, but I know that rare chicken isn't a delicacy." I picked up my phone and shot Carlisle a quick text about Chinese food for Bella. He almost instantly responded that he would stop on his way home.

"It was really nice of you. I know cooking probably isn't fun for you."

"I love new skills. I never had an excuse to try cooking and I should learn. If we're going to be together for an eternity, I probably should learn to help feed you."

"I'm gonna do the cooking in our relationship. I already do it for my dad."

"We can take turns," I said. "You do one night and I do the other."

"And I'll defrost the extra rare chicken nuggets for our puppies."

"Our puppies?"

"Yeah. Little werewolf babies." Bella hesitated. "You don't want kids, do you?"

"No. I want them more than anything. I gave up on that dream, though."

"Yeah. Uh, you seem… uncomfortable."

"Talking about our far off future makes me ponder our immediate future." I summon all of my courage to speak my next words. "I want to try having sex with you before summer ends," I said, struggling to conceal my nerves. Bella's lips popped open in an almost perfect 'O.'

When she finally calmed down, "That doesn't sound bad," stammered the wolf in disguise. "Sounds good. It sounds good."

"If you aren't ready we absolutely don't have to. It scares me deeply, to tell the truth."

"I just always… I always thought I was going to wait until marriage. I know that sounds ridiculous and outdated, but…"

"But I have always felt the same way. I thought…" I fell into the rare situation in which I did not know quite what to say. I wrung my hands. "Victoria made me think about how much I wanted you. How much I want to take those scary steps with you."

"Victoria seems as interested in us as Alice. Except more in the ways the high school boys are, and not like a bubbly matchmaker."

"I didn't think of it like that," I said. "How about we agree to take things slow?"

"I'd like that." Bella smiled.

"Now, how about we cozy up with Netflix until Carlisle arrives with your food?"

[X]

That night, after Bella's dinner and the conclusion of a _Pretty Little Liars_ marathon, my wolf became sleepy and I needed to tuck her in. We slipped up to my bedroom and Bella awkwardly shuffled her feet. It felt a bit odd to have a sleepover like this.

"Do you prefer a side of the bed?" Bella asked before rubbing her neck. "Uh, I guess you don't sleep. Vampires don't sleep."

"Do _you_ prefer a side of the bed?"

Bella hummed for a moment as she thought. "I guess I like to sleep in the middle."

"Then I guess I like to sleep in the middle too," I teased with a well-practiced wink.

Bella breathlessly said, "Thanks for letting me stay over."

"I invited you to stay over. I deeply enjoy your company."

"I'd love to tell the Rosalie I knew six months ago she would say that."

"I suppose I reacted rather strongly to you moving to town."

Bella chuckled. "I thought you wanted to rip my throat out."

"In a literal sense, I did." _I still do,_ I thought against my wishes. "But not because I disliked you. I disliked you because I wanted to rip your throat out."

"It must be really hard to go against your nature like that."

"I'm quite successful at it," I said, but then I again thought of Amunet and my heart sunk.

"You are. You all are. It's amazing, to feel so much love for people you don't even know that you would rebel against the way—the way your race is wired. It would've been really easy to lure me behind the school and just drink my blood."

Sitting down on the bed, I shrugged. "I can't say I didn't think about it."

Bella teased, a smile spreading on her face, "I'm a little nervous."

"I was being playful. I'm not going to drink your blood."

"I—I know. I'm just nervous to sleep here so close to you when I know we both want to, both plan to, both plan to sleep with each other soon. I sound like a dumb virgin, don't I?"

"I guess I'm not a virgin."

Bella grabbed my hand and I flinched. "You are. Just like you still count as a vampire who has never hurt a human. If someone is hurting you, if someone is forcing you, it doesn't count. You've never had sex, and you've never really drank human blood."

"I do not believe it works that way, Bella Swan."

I was surprised at the vehemence of my mate when she exclaimed, "Well, I do."

Softly smiling, I gazed at my love. "So brave," I mused. "I like brave Bella."

"I'd like her better if she didn't make my pulse race."

"So would I. You smell… so good."

"What happens if a vampire bites a werewolf?"

"I don't think anyone knows." I slowly leaned closer to Bella. She remained frozen in place, a soft smile painted on her lips. Cautiously, I touched my fangs to her neck. I meant to do it teasingly, playfully, sensually, but that fierce, vivid image of ripping out her throat and drinking every drop of her blood invaded my mind.

The moment I felt her pulse against my teeth, I jumped back.

Bella's smile faded away.

[X]

An hour or so after Bella left in the morning, the doorbell rang. I did not know why, but it made me shiver. Anything out of place felt foreboding after being captured by Amunet and Angelique. I crept up from the sofa and pressed my back against the foyer wall to eavesdrop.

"Aro, what a pleasant surprise," said Carlisle, and my eyes flashed wide.

"Amunet made quite a mess a few weeks ago, now didn't she?" said Aro in his chilling voice. I tried not to tense at the sound of it.

"Yes. I expect you cleaned it up." Pause. "Why are you here?"

"See, the interesting thing about being the leader of the Volturi is that you have no need to explain yourself to anyone."

Carlisle insisted, "I only meant to spark conversation."

"I need to speak to you about an interrogation with a cultist we at last captured. It is our first glimpse at information about Amunet's rebirth and plans. Since you are my old friend, I came myself, instead of acting as I would with anyone else."

"I appreciate that."

"Are you aware that Rosalie is listening in on our conversation?"

"No, I wasn't. Rose…"

I stepped out from my hiding place and nodded. Aro walked confidently across the room and took my hand. I expected him to read my mind, but instead, he raised it to his lips and gently kissed the top. "You are still the most beautiful vampiress I have ever laid eyes on."

"Thank you." The compliment made me uncomfortable somehow. Perhaps I simply did not like to be under his scrutiny in any set of circumstances.

He turned the conversation to Bella and I clenched my fists, saying, "I can imagine why the werewolf would want you."

I said crisply and clearly, desperately trying to protect the Quileute and my love, "They aren't werewolves. They don't bite or spread disease. They're shapeshifters."

"Oh, I am aware. I first planned to wipe them out, but then I investigated. So long as they leave the vampires I govern alone, I will leave them alone."

"They'll behave," I whispered.

"Good. Make sure of it. I would hate to disappoint you by killing your little girlfriend."

"They knew of vampires before they knew my family."

Aro scoffed. "Again, you are only telling me what I already know. Rosalie, Rosalie, Rosalie, do you not think you would be long dead and destroyed if I thought you had broken a law so important as that one? Do you not think those wolves would all be in graves if I thought they were a threat? I am here about Amunet and Angelique."

"Right. I'm defensive about Bella."

"Is there something I should know about your cross-species liaison?"

I composed myself and purred, "Good girls don't kiss and tell."

Aro laughed. "You never struck me as a good girl." He turned away from me and to Carlisle. "We need to speak somewhere privately?"

I watched them walk away.

[X]

Two drab days after Aro's surprise visit, "I cannot believe I agreed to this," I muttered to Bella as we crammed into the back of Alice's car with both Victoria and Tanya.

My sister generously offered the front to Bella's boring human bestie Jessica, presumably in hopes I would accidentally grope my girlfriend while trying to fasten my seatbelt.

"I'm so excited," said Jessica.

I was sick of her already, but I wasn't the type of girlfriend to tell Bella who she could and couldn't run with. She did spend a lot of time in the woods with giant, smelly dogs, after all. Jessica was a step up from that, albeit, sharing the Cullen lunch table and sitting beside the insufferable, bubbly human was trying at times. At _all_ times. But she was part of our outcast group by this point, even if she was a clueless human.

"Road trip to Seattle!" sang Alice.

Tanya coolly asked, "I thought we were going to Bellevue."

"Which is basically Seattle!" continued Alice in her singsong tone.

"I made the best playlist for the trip," said Jessica, taking the liberty of plugging in her phone.

The bubblegum pop began and I turned to Bella. Wonderful, two plus hours of this.

Bella kissed my cheek and I softly smiled.

Maybe it would not be _terrible_.

[X]

We stood in Bellevue after an endless drive. It was only made pleasant by Bella beside me, and our whispered conversations. I hated that Victoria listened to them, however. The city was cute, hipster-y, wealthy with its own Prada store. It was the exact opposite of Forks; the only similarity was the dark sky and the trickling rain.

"The two richest men in history live just miles away," said Alice, as if she were a tour guide. "Which is why I think this is the best mall I've been to."

"You've been to most malls in the United States, as well as Europe. And South America," said Tanya, slowly shaking her head.

Alice pouted. She always made that cute instead of annoying. "Yeah. Just let me enjoy Bellevue Square, okay? It's charming and so… _rose gold_."

Tanya dryly explained, "That happens to be her latest invented adjective."

"One will catch on eventually," Alice insisted. "So, let's have our fun, fun, fun girl's day!"

"Ra ra yay," sarcastically said Victoria. She looked as displeased to be here as I was, but I knew once the shopping started I would feel quite a bit better. Maybe she would too.

"I wouldn't mind living around here," I said.

"Yeah. Suburbs, send our puppies to prep school with the other little rich kids."

"Puppies?" asked the human and Bella blanched.

"Nickname for kids," I said. "We talked about dogs as a metaphor for them to make it a little less scary and weird."

Jessica drawled, "Oh. That's cute. You two are way too cute for words. I ship you haaaaaard."

"Thanks," said Bella.

Victoria shot me a glance I couldn't decipher.

Bella grabbed my hand and held it tightly as we walked.

[X]

We stood inside of Macy's, just outside of the dressing room. Victoria, Tanya and Jessica all were sifting through armfuls of clothes and stepping out to show me, Alice and Bella. Bella had nothing but a small headband, Alice already finished adding a huge bag to her collection, and I held a new purse and wallet.

Jessica stepped out in a rather attractive outfit. For a human, she looked quite good.

"I'm trying to get a boy's attention." Jessica slowly spun around, arms outstretched.

Victoria stepped out of her dressing room in nothing but a bra and navy shorts and set her hands on her hips. "This sounds a little forward, but if I saw you in that dress and those heels, I'd jump your bones."

"Good." Jessica smoothed out the skirt and ogled herself in the mirror for a little while longer.

"So, can we know who the lucky guy is?" crooned Alice, batting her eyelashes. It was a move that never ever failed.

"Uh…" Jessica seemed abashed. I did not know she was capable of that emotion. "Your brother, actually. Emmett."

 _Ick_. I shot Bella a glance. Victoria stifled a laugh against her hand.

"I got that vibe this year," said Alice, touching Jessica's arm sweetly. "From both of you. Best of luck, lovely."

I still could not get that out of my head until we arrived at lunch.

"I have gifts for the gang!" chirped Alice. She passed little, perfectly-wrapped presents with pink bows around the table. Jessica took one, as did I, as did Rosalie, Tanya and Victoria. "Open them. Open them!" She beamed.

I unwrapped mine neatly, keeping it intact. Jess eagerly ripped hers open, while Bella cautiously avoided displaying her unnatural strength.

When I opened the cardboard box, I saw a friendship bracelet with my name embroidered on it. _Rosalie,_ in sunshine yellow against pale pink. It looked like the kind of thing human girls made at the summer camps I never attended.

It was a sweet gift, and a rather thoughtful one too. Although it did not match the usual style of jewelry I wore, I untied the clasp and knotted it onto my wrist.

"Thank you," said Bella. Alice beamed at her. Hers was identical to mine, except it had her name embroidered in purple against a deep, rich forest green.

She took my hand in hers again and our colors clashed.

In that moment, nothing in the world ever felt so right.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

Two days after my girls' day out with four vampires and a human, "Hey," I said as I knocked on Jake's open bedroom door. "Can I come in?"

I came to check on my half-brother for the second time. A few wolves went through the transformation this spring and summer, but I felt more obliged to be there for him. We were related by blood, and he was my close friend since childhood.

"Yeah," Jacob grunted, rolling over in bed.

This was it. The change into a shifter weighed down heavily on my half-brother's body. He looked worse for wear than I did when it happened to me. Granted, I thought it was the worst flu of my entire life, so it sucked. A _lot_.

"I brought you some tea. Your dad sent it up with me," I said, setting the cup down on his messy bedside table. Jacob just groaned. "I really doubt it'll make you feel any better but..."

"It's fine. Thanks."

"I'm going to go for a swim with Leah. Are you cool with that?"

"I'm not on my deathbed. You can let me sleep."

"Cool. I'll see you at the barbeque tonight… if you're up to it."

"I probably won't be."

"Uh, yeah."

Leah called upstairs, "You ready?"

"Yeah!" I shouted back. I turned to my half-brother. "Jake, see you later.'

He just grunted and rolled over again.

I walked out and down the stairs to see Leah talking to Rachel in the kitchen. Paul, Sam and Jared were on the sofa flipping through dull channels.

My pack grew exponentially over the past month. Billy said it was probably due to Amunet, the surge in supernatural anxiety thanks to her cult's presence so nearby. It made me rather certain she still was lurking in Oregon, or worse, closer than that.

Other imprints joined too. That happened faster than I thought it would. Maybe love at sight was not as picky as I thought. Or maybe God looked out for love, and put people together so they wouldn't be lonely for too long. I hoped it was the latter.

My half-sister was one of them. She came to town for the summer and Paul fell in love at first sight. It was, surprisingly, hardest of all to introduce her to the pack. I wondered constantly in the back of my mind if that was because I was the alpha. Or maybe she was just more of a skeptic than Emily or a vampire or a four-year-old. Rebecca remained in Hawaii, still not quite on speaking terms with her family. Jake said it was about fear. I tried not to intrude; the family still did not feel like mine. Yet, there I was, ambushed.

"So, I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to you," said Rachel. "I think you've been avoiding me this summer."

"Uh…" Yeah, she had me there.

"I always wanted a baby sister." Rachel smiled smoothly, patting me on the head. "And Paul likes you a lot."

"I'm glad he does. Being in charge of the pack is…"

"It's girl power. I love it. Anyway, you and Leah have plans, right? I shouldn't hold you up."

Awkwardly, I explained the outing with, "I've been swimming a lot these days."

"And I want to give it a try." Leah gave me a smile, something rare for her. Her anger was understandable. I tried to put myself in her shoes, to think about Rosalie falling permanently in love with someone close and dear to me. Just ditching me. Finding a different vampiric mate. It was that which prompted me to make an extra effort to make her feel welcome in the pack. The boys didn't make it easy, thanks to her issues with Sam.

"Let's get out of here," sourly said Leah, the precise moment Emily walked through the door.

I nodded and led her to my truck.

[X]

I loved the feeling of seawater on my skin. The iciness. The colder the better now that I constantly ran a supernatural fever. It caused the unfortunate side effect of hot flashes that led to me often plunging myself into an ice water bath back home in Forks.

Leah looked happiest while swimming. When we were wolves running together, her thoughts echoed in my head. They made me paranoid about Rosalie, to tell the truth. I was deeply, deeply afraid that vampire mating would cause some kind of nightmare for me, like wolf imprinting caused for my new friend. I suppose she liked the isolation like I did; I really didn't want to intrude and ask. Pointing out her sadness felt taboo in numerous ways.

She dove beneath the water as we swam further out to sea.

After a minute or two, Leah bobbed up to the surface. "There's this cave with cool ancient paintings in it! Wanna check it out? It's not far when the water's calm like today!"

"Sounds fun!" I shouted over the persistent hum of the ocean.

We drifted out with the tides and soon swam against them. I followed Leah to an underwater tunnel, where she dragged me by the arm. My lungs were strong than I ever imagined they could be. It seemed almost every day I discovered something new about my transformation and how it changed my body and mind to the core.

I heaved myself up onto the stone floor of the cave. Above, skylights illuminated the interior dimly. Leah followed me and wrung out her hair as she stood at my side.

"Where are the paintings?"

Leah pointed at the wall behind me. I turned to face it and walked closer.

Goosebumps rose on my skin.

"It's about the cold ones," said Leah, but I already figured that out from the familiar images. "Nobody remembers the exact legend, but the pictures try to tell it. I guess the pack has a long history of dealing with the leeches."

I furrowed my brow when I saw the detailed painting. I recognized the face, and I recognized the story those paintings told. Slowly, I touched my hand to the image of an Egyptian vampire holding up her arms above other cold ones like a puppeteer.

"What is it?" Leah asked.

"I…" I took a slow breath through my dripping lips. "Remember that ancient vampire cult the original pack talks about fighting?"

"Yeah."

"This… this writing is about Amunet. I think, at least. I don't know who else…"

"So, she knows about the Quileute?"

"Or the Quileute know about her. I don't know who wrote this."

"I'm sure people have been in this cave before."

"I doubt any of them ever met Amunet face to face, except for the author of these drawings."

"What's she like?"

"Terrifying. She tore us to shreds without even trying. I wouldn't want to face off with her again. Or her girlfriend, even though she's more fragile."

"Is it true that vampires have superpowers?"

"Yeah. It's right out of a bad Marvel movie."

"There's no such thing as a bad Marvel movie."

"I'm a DC girl."

"You can't be serious. I just lost some respect for you."

"I'm your pack alpha. Keep in line."

Leah laughed. "Do you want to keep looking at the drawings or should we swim back?"

"You should swim back. Tell Billy I'm here. I'm going to go deeper in the cave. I want to see if there are any answers."

"Be careful, Lara Croft."

"I will be. Check on Jake for me too, if you can."

"Okay." Leah dove seamlessly back into the water, and, in moments, I was alone.

I tried not to be afraid as I walked into the dim cave. Once the light ran out, I knew I would have to turn back and return with a flashlight, but, for now, the skylights gave me enough to see that the drawings and writing continued along the stone wall.

The walk was long, and the pictures revealed little more than those at the front of the cave. I found nothing but a girl's t-shirt that was probably left behind from a make-out session. But as darkness began to consume me and I started to consider turning back, I saw what stood before me.

A box. An ancient, dilapidated box wrapped with three rusted chains and locks.

I cracked my knuckles and tried to use my supernatural strength to open it.

No luck.

[X]

I was dried off and preoccupied with the images I knew were of Amunet when I bumped into my half-sister again. The whole pack was in Jacob's backyard, playing football. Leah watched from the sidelines while Emily managed the grill.

"This barbecue is insane," said Rachel after an uncomfortable few seconds. "I know it sounds a little dense to say, but wolves really like steak."

I set my hand on my growling stomach. "Yep. Need some help?"

"I'd appreciate it, if you're not busy."

"I'm not busy." I walked over to give my half-sister a hand with the grill.

We had a fun afternoon, going long into the evening, playing with Claire and tossing footballs together and chatting. I learned about life on the reservation and had little to say about my own life having a quiet but beautiful summer with my vampire lover.

It was a good time.

If anything, we wolves knew how to have a good time.

[X]

As night fell, I worked up the courage to confront Billy.

Awkwardly shuffling my feet, I said, "I want Rose to come to the imprint bonfire. She's my imprint. She deserves this. She deserves to be treated like anyone else."

"There's a treaty. She can't set foot on La Push land."

"For what reason?"

"To protect the Cullens. We are allowing vampires to live for one reason only."

"They respect the treaty. If she's accompanied by me at all times, I don't understand why she can't have a—a visitor's pass onto our land." _Our land_ ; that was the first time I said it.

"It's not your land, and it's not your choice. You're not one of us."

"What? Because I'm mixed race I don't count?"

"Not because you're mixed race. Because you're in a relationship with a vampire."

"It isn't fair. Rosalie would never hurt any of you. Never hurt anyone. She's the only Cullen who has never even tasted human blood once." I knew that was technically a lie, but I knew Rose was forced by Amunet, and her reputation should not be tarnished by it.

"I'm sure you're right. I trust your judgment. But I don't want to break these rules."

"We have worse vampires to worry about. Amunet and Angelique are still on the loose with their whole freaky cult, and you're worried about Rosalie coming to our bonfire?" I wondered if I should mention the cave paintings, but I simply did not know how to explain them. I withheld the information for now, hoping to reveal it once I knew more.

Billy interrupted my swirling thoughts with, "It's possible to be concerned about more than one vampire at once. We are supposed to protect our tribe from _all_ of them. The Cullens recently took a new member. Does she drink animal blood too?"

"Now she does," I explained.

"You dislike her."

"I dislike her because she hits on my girlfriend, not because she's dangerous."

Billy sighed. He seemed to know I wouldn't let this rest.

"I will consider it."

"That's all I'm asking for. Thank you."

[X]

The moment I got into Rosalie's car, she turned off her radio and turned to me with a serious expression. She even removed her white heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Aro stopped by my house this morning."

"Aro?"

"Leader of the Volturi," said Rosalie. I knew who they were; the terrifying vampire government that buried Amunet alive. "I think he's still at my house. I'm going to ask Edward what he told Carlisle later. He won't be home from hunting for a few days and then I'll have him read Carlisle's mind. I need to know."

"Why? Why do you need to know?"

"Because he has information about Amunet."

"You're worried about the destiny thing, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be? But mostly, I'm worried about my family. She targeted us before, and she has all the more reason to do it now."

"I think she's scared of the Quileute. I saw these paintings yesterday. I was going to text you about it last night but I didn't really know how to explain. Hell, I don't know how to explain now. I need to show them to you somehow. Maybe I can take pictures next time I'm on the REz."

"Or, if they would treat me with some decency, you could take me."

"Yeah. That'll be the day."

Rosalie started driving. "What were the paintings about?"

"The Quileute have dealt with Amunet in the past. I found this creepy box in there. I couldn't figure out how to open it before it got dark. I'm wondering if you know."

"I hate to disappoint, but vampires don't carry magical skeleton keys."

"But vampires know more about vampires than a wolf ever could."

Rosalie admitted, "True enough. So, should we attempt to avoid speaking about Amunet by having a normal human-esque date at the park."

"I'm all about human-esque," I replied with a laugh. "But I think vampires and werewolves really have more fun."

"Do we?"

"Of course. We don't have to sleep."

Rosalie pulled over into the parking lot of the 7/11.

"You need to stop saying things like that."

"Why?"

"Because I might do this."

Rosalie's cold lips pressed against my burning ones. It was like the moon collided with the sun and then she started sucking on my lower lip. I felt like someone shoved me into ice water in the best possible way as she stole my breath away.

I leaned in closer and hungrily pressed my lips harder against hers, reaching up to touch her soft, beautiful face.

A large hand banging on the hood of the car interrupted our make out session.

Then a wolf whistle and laughter from a pack of boys and a girl.

At first I thought it was my gang from La Push. It was something they would do.

But it wasn't my wolf pack. It was the high school pack that never ceased to bother me and Rose for being together, for being outcasts, for being part of the Cullen clique. They made fun of Jessica too, despite what her cheerleader personality would suggest.

"Get a room you two!" crowed Mike Newton with a slightly sullen smile.

"Or not. Maybe they can put on a show!" laughed Lauren.

"Lookin' good, Bella!" Ben called, slamming one hand down on the hood of the car.

I blushed and froze in place. Rosalie got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She set her hand on mine.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" barked a male voice from beside the car. "My fists didn't hear you."

The boys froze at the sight of my now-six-foot-four brother, made entirely of muscle after the end of his transformation. They laughed awkwardly to save some face and ditched us.

"Just kidding, man!" called out Tyler as they left.

I looked up to see Jacob. Rosalie unsnapped her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

"You don't need to protect us, _dog_. We can tolerate the teasing perfectly well," said Rosalie. "We've dealt with it plenty since we got together."

Jacob shook his head with a pout. "But I can't tolerate it. Bella's my sister. I'm not letting any guys make fun of her. Not that I like her making out with a leech, anyway, but I'll tolerate it as long as you _never_ so much as hurt her feelings."

I stepped out of the car at last. "Thanks, Jake," I said, although I wanted his help as little as Rose did, and my imprint shot me a look. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Yeah. Rose was right when she called me a dog." He gave me a lopsided smile. "I'm finally part of the pack."

"Nice one, little bro." I smiled back.

"I came to tell you two that you're invited to the imprint bonfire."

"Both of us?"

"Both of you. My dad—our dad—decided an hour ago. It was under a lot of debate and Old Quil fought hard against it, but you won. It starts pretty soon if you two want to start driving."

Rosalie turned to me. "Are we sure we want to go? The park is still waiting."

"I want this," I said earnestly.

"Okay." Rosalie nodded and got back in the car.

I followed her.

[X]

Rosalie immediately tensed as she drove into La Push, and the tension continued all the way to the beach. I couldn't blame her because I knew the pack would be unhappy. Still, I was alpha and I knew there was a reason I imprinted on a vampire. We did not yet fully understand imprinting, but I knew it was not random.

"I know there's a treaty, but you have a right to be here as my imprint," I said as assuredly as possible. "Don't worry."

Rosalie stepped out of the car and I followed her. She hesitated and reached back in, causing me to briefly panic. But instead of running, she pulled a flare from her car's emergency kit. She glanced at the setting sun and I followed her gaze.

"You wanted to go cave diving, remember? We need light." Rosalie flashed me a celebrity-level smile. "It's almost nighttime."

We stepped further towards the beach.

"Are you afraid?" I asked, responding to Rosalie's body language.

"No. It just reeks of dog," she said coolly. I figured she was in self-defense mode. Rosalie's version of protecting herself was being as snobby of an ice princess as possible.

We finally stepped down onto the beach and I saw the guys playing soccer while the elders set up for the party. The imprints and a few others lingered on the sidelines.

Rosalie asked, "Is this the wolf version of prom?" and I laughed.

"I guess. Let's introduce you to everybody," I suggested, taking her cold hand in my feverish one and guiding her down the rocky dunes onto the damp beach.

Leah stood up while everyone else averted their eyes. "Hey."

"Hello," stiltedly said Rosalie.

"I wasn't talking to you, leech."

Rosalie's eyebrow twitched.

I waited for my pack to apologize, or at least for Leah to do so, but no one did. After weighing the options of knocking sense into them and giving them time to accept this reality, I decided on the gentler option as Plan A.

So, I grabbed Rosalie by the arm and took her to the rocks where I always start my swims. "Rose, come with me. I need to show you that cave. It's a short swim from here."

"Right. I'm not really dressed for swimming."

"No one will see. Just wear your underwear. That's what I do."

"I bet you'd like that."

"You'd win that bet."

Rosalie smiled softly and stripped down to her bra and shorts. She began to unbutton the denim daisy dukes but changed her mind halfway through.

She waded out into the cold water with me and I led her to the cave. When we resurfaced, she pulled herself upwards and flipped her soaking blonde hair. I felt my heart thundering in my chest and my stomach twisted.

"So, your box?" asked Rosalie, and then she made an odd expression. "So, the box you found in this cave. Not your box."

"I, uh, I figured you meant that." I rubbed my wrist.

We walked through the darkness, Rosalie's flare illuminating the way like a Fourth of July themed torch. The two of us remained in silence until we finally reached the locked box I found.

Rosalie handed me the flare and knelt down to study the artifact. I could see carvings on it now that we were in better lighting, but they made no sense to me. She tugged at the locks to no avail, just as I honestly anticipated.

"I don't have any special vampire knowledge about this. I have been alive for a long time, but I've never quite seen anything like it," softly said my imprint. "You're sure it has to do with Amunet?"

"I'll show you the paintings. There's no way it _doesn't_ have to do with her. Just like my pack going from the traditional three dudes to a huge gang and counting. She's…"

"A force of nature, in a number of ways. I imagine the first vampire ever created would be." Rosalie sat down on the cave floor. I sat across from her and propped the flare up on a rock an equal distance between us.

"I don't know how I count as a mythical creature," I said. "I mean, I'm a wolf but I… I don't ever think I should be. I just want to be with you. Like Jessica. Human. But with you."

"Why don't you think you should be?"

"Because you're special, and the wolves who are _real_ are special, and Alice is special, and I'm… not special. I'm Bella Swan. No talents other than the increased physical fitness of being a wolf. No interesting stories outside tribe legends of a tribe I don't think I really belong to. No incredible beauty; just boring mousy features and brown eyes. I'm not the kind of person anyone would remember long enough to write a sticky-note about, much less a myth. That's why I don't think I should be a mythical creature."

Leaning forward, Rosalie ran her icy fingertips over my veins. I shivered, and not just from the cold sea water slowly drying on my skin.

"See the blue in your veins? It's from iron. Iron only comes from one place; dying stars. God forged you from stardust."

"That makes me sound way more important than I am."

"You are important to me. You are the most important person in the world to me."

"You've known your coven longer."

Rosalie gazed into my eyes for a moment before fiercely kissing me. A beast within my chest roared victoriously as she melted into me.

We kissed and touched and dug harder into each other than we ever had before. Without thinking, I bit down on her lip and sucked, and as I began to move closer for more, she pushed me back. I took sharp breath of shock and concern.

Rosalie explained, "This is too much. This is too much."

"I get it. I understand. It's a big step."

"I am sorry."

I explained in complete and utter earnest, "Don't apologize. I love you."

Rosalie gently kissed my forehead.

[X]

We returned to the bonfire and listened to stories. Everyone still avoided Rosalie, but my pack managed to keep their mouths shut about her. It ended rather quickly after all the time Rosalie and I spent in the cave.

After Billy bid us goodbye, Rosalie dropped me off at home, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Charlie sitting on the sofa, a piece of paper clutched in his hand. He looked up at me and my heart skipped a beat. Did he know about what I was? Did he somehow find out about vampires and wolves and all beasts of the night?

"Is this true?"

"Is what true?"

He handed me the typewritten letter and I took it as he walked away. Before I could say a word, he got in his squad car and went off, hopefully to work.

The final line read, " _If you don't believe me, ask "your" daughter."_

I couldn't breathe until my girlfriend responded to my text, and then flew into a panic yet again, rereading the letter until I heard the doorbell ring and snapped back to reality.

"I came as fast as I could," said Rosalie as I opened the door to let her inside. "Are you okay? I don't—you just—you weren't very specific in your text."

"Someone told my dad about—about me—about my biological dad. And he just—he just took off without even saying anything."

"I'm sure he's fine. Charlie isn't irrational, and he loves you. He's a loyal, good man. He won't leave you or do anything stupid. He probably just needs time to process what he learned."

"Should I pack my bags?"

"He isn't kicking you out, Bella."

"I'm kicking myself out. I don't know if I…"

"You came here to live with your dad. You love him. He loves you back. Just wait it out one night, and if you still want to leave, you can come stay with us for a while. I'll wait with you. We can watch _Romeo and Juliet_ and make out during the scary parts."

"The scary parts of _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Yeah." Rosalie winked.

I grabbed her hand and let the icy sensation calm my nerves.

She kissed my forehead.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

* * *

 **ROSALIE**

* * *

Last night, Bella called me a leech.

I drove her to La Push after she could stay away no longer. Charlie and Billy fought there, of course, after that nasty big reveal. Bella lost her temper when I tried to calm her down, tried to be responsible in the chaos. And, she called me a leech, told me not to speak to her again.

If that was what she wanted, that was what she would receive.

I was Rosalie Hale and people were never permitted to take me for granted, even the person I loved so deeply.

And yet, although I refused to let myself contact my mate, I sat in the Cullen Manor porch at sunrise with my phone on my lap, waiting for Bella to call or text me.

My phone remained utterly silent, even as the pink tendrils of dawn rose over the treeline.

"Rose," chirped Alice, opening the creaking front door. I jumped, but she did not mention it. "Are you ready to talk about what's upsetting you?"

"No," I curtly replied, frowning. I shoved my phone into my pocket to stop it taunting me.

"Please. I'm your sister. Come on," Alice pleaded, sitting down on the deck, her legs crossed in a comfortable and easy pose. "I can't even handle my life when you're not feeling good."

"Fine. Bella called me a leech and I think she broke up with me. I didn't know the wolves were even capable of doing that to an imprint. I am still perpetually haunted by what Amunet said about me and my-my-my special, special destiny." I knew that had to escape me sooner or later. Maybe Bella was angry because she could sense that I care so much about that destiny, that elusive question, the thoughts of Amunet that haunt me day and night.

Alice offered weakly, "Uhm, with all that on your chest, are you okay?"

With a loud sigh, I huffed, "I'm pretty fucking far from okay, Allie."

"Yeah. I asked a stupid question," said Alice slowly, averting her eyes. "I don't know what to do about Bella."

"Oh."

"Yet!" Alice frantically added, and I almost smiled. "I don't know what to do about Bella yet. I'm a love guru and I'll totally have that title revoked if I can't help you two."

"Sure." I didn't believe her. I couldn't believe her. My heart was broken, and I was livid.

"And, to be honest, I'm pretty shaken up about Amunet too. At night I can't be around people or really shopping except online and I just sometimes sit there trying so hard to remember. I used to try hard to remember, but I stopped once I found Jasper. Now I'm trying again, because maybe I really am connected to her somehow and I don't know it."

"Yeah. Having a destiny according to her is pretty on my mind." And drinking human blood. And drinking human blood. And drinking human blood.

"I can't stop thinking about how she knows me. How does she know me? I don't remember… there's so much I don't remember…" Alice frowned. It was such a strange expression on her lovely birdlike face that I was taken aback.

Suddenly, a calming but stern voice stated, "She may have powers beyond our imagining, but she also is a liar who will say what she needs to get what she wants."

Carlisle was home. I wondered how much he overheard but I could not bring myself to ask.

"What chance is there that she was telling the truth? What chance is there that she really saw my future or that she knows Alice in the past."

"I will be honest. I do not know Alice's past, but I doubt they crossed paths. Alice, you saw a tombstone for yourself. Amunet had been buried for a very long time. Rosalie, she can… see the future. She can see patterns and what will happen if one person rolls a marble and it somehow eventually becomes a world war."

I inquired, "The future? Like Alice?"

"It isn't the same as Alice," said Carlisle with a sharp shake of his head. "Patterns are never as precise as visions, but they are more reliable. They never change and never fail."

I remarked, "That's a lot of nevers."

"I have one more for you." Carlisle stepped into the light and his skin sparkled like diamonds. "I'll never let Amunet hurt you. You're my daughters and I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Alice leapt up gracefully and embraced the Cullen Patriarch. I could not help but be less than impressed and I was not sure why. Did Bella ruin me somehow?

Yes, yes she did.

She still did not text me.

And I utterly refused to be the one to text first.

[X]

After a long day of sulking about Bella, I started helping Emmett on his latest project. He always had something going on. At the moment, that something was bigger than usual and at the edge of the property near the woods.

"What are you working on?" I asked as I strode down the hill.

He stood shirtless for no reason, holding a hammer with a nail between his teeth. He spat it into his hand and turned to look up at me.

"A guest house," said Emmett, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Why do we need a guest house?" I asked with a small laugh.

"It'll add property value." Emmett winked.

I laughed again. He glanced at me with a twinkle in his eye and helped me over a mud puddle so that I could get a closer look at the half-finished structure. The bare wooden planks glowed bright amber in the orange evening light of the golden hour.

"What even happened between you and Van Bellsing?" asked Emmett, kicking open the toolbox.

"What makes you think something happened between me and Bella?" I demanded, tensing up my shoulders.

"Because you're acting like somebody who got their heart broken, and now you'r'e triyng to distract yourself by helping me build a guest house."

"Fine," I snapped. "She called me a leech and freaked out and she's been ignoring me. She usually texts me ad nauseum and it's been radio silence since last night."

"Have you texted her?" he casually asked, shooting a swift glance in my direction.

"No, of course not." I frowned, lips pursed and jutting out in a partial pout.

"Ah." He chuckled with a wise glint in his eye, as if he knew something I did not.

"Don't _ah_ me, Emmett Cullen!" I exclaimed, before realizing my anger and deciding to explain myself in a calm tone. "She needs space. She's going thorugh a lot." I picked up the nail gun and started working on the front door frame.

"You need space, not her."

"What?"

"You're scared. This is an excuse for you to run from her because you never love anybody as much as they love you."

I demanded hoarsely, "Are you a psychiatrist now?"

"No. I'm just a dude who makes observations. You don't want to be with her and so you're using her little hissy fit calling you a leech as an excuse to bail without feeling bad about yourself. I mean, Rose, you're just scared to be loved and you're scared to love. It's a matter of time before you just get bored of her and break up with her yourself. If you just-"

"I'm holding a nail gun," I said.

"And?"

"And it's going to get acquainted with your crotch if you continue this line of thought."

Emmett held up his hands in surrender and we worked in silence for the rest of the day.

[X]

I sat, dazed, on the porch in the middle of the night, the fire pit we kept on the porch crackling in front of me. My mind wandered as I gazed through the smoke up at the glistening stars. It was pleasurable to let my mind wander, away from Bella, away from all my waking nightmares of late.

"Rosalie," whispered a voice, as soft as the wind and as cold as a rattlesnake's hiss. "Rosalie…"

I snapped up, my eyes overwhelmed by a flurry of blinks. Finally, I saw the source. Amunet. Amunet was here; she found us. But I was paralyzed, frozen in place, struggling against invisible bonds.

"Rosalie, come face your destiny…" She smiled, sharp canine teeth glittering ivory in the firelight. Her black dress rippled in the midnight wind, and her raven hair fluttered around her. "Rosalie, come find me."

She reached out, reached out so close that I could smell the death and carnage on her.

"Carlisle!" I screamed, finally snapping away from my paralysis. I stood up and looked around, but I was alone. Amunet was nowhere to be found.

"What is it?" asked my father figure, bursting through the door.

Humiliated, I whispered, "I thought… I thought I saw Amunet."

Carlisle furrowed his brow and looked around. "You should go inside. Edward and I will scan the yard."

"I… okay," I murmured, standing up.

[X]

Inside, I sat down on my bed, staring at the wall, returning to my reverie from the porch. But suddenly Victoria stepped inside and I jumped.

"Don't be so scared, princess. I just wanted to ask if I could borrow that soft pink shirt of yours. The one with the white buttons. I'm going out tonight."

"Yeah. Go ahead."

She swiftly removed her shirt and dug through the drawers to find the replacement.

"Like what you see?" she teased.

"I have a mate," I snapped, snorting at her ridiculous wanton ways.

Victoria just batted her long, dark, curly eyelashes, ignoring my utter distaste. "Yes, but as far as I know you aren't blind."

"You look fine." She was… adequate compared to the sleek, muscular fire of Bella Marie Swan.

The girl I was beyond angry at. I couldn't imagine eve speaking to her again, yet I still saw us in the future married with puppies. I did not honestly know how I could feel both of those things at once. Victoria slowly walked to me.

She purred prettily, "Are you sure she's your mate?"

"Yes," I said, although I was uncertain. I was uncertain if I loved her or if I loved the idea of a mate and puppies and someone who would love me innocently, purely, eternally like only a wolf could.

"Or is this just your fucked up response to being her weird wolf imprint?" asked Victoria, as if she could read my mind. Maybe Edward told her about those nasty thoughts.

I bared my teeth. Victoria only smirked in response.

She took my face in her hands and softly crushed our lips together,

The intoxication and sweetness of it was brief and bitter.

I shoved her away.

"Never," I snarled, "dare do that again."

Victoria just smirked. "Cross my frozen heart."

I restrained the urge to rip her head off and fled the scene.

[X]

The next day, I finally received a text from Bella. My stomach filled with both excitement and dread as I picked up my phone to read it.

'My mom wants to meet you,' it read. 'We're going to the zoo in Seattle.'

I texted back more quickly than I would be proud to admit. 'I'll meet you at the school.'

'Okay! I'm excited to see you.'

My fingers lingered over my iPhone keyboard for a moment before I typed back, 'Me too.'

I stared at my phone for a brief moment before shoving it into my pocket and standing up to find my car keys.

[X]

The day after meeting Renee and visiting the Woodland Park Zoo, an unknown number called me. I answered with a languid hello and then perked up as I heard Bella's voice.

She spoke, however, with a strange urgency in her tone that I wasn't used to. "I'm sorry that I'm calling-"

"Bella?" I double checked.

"Yeah." She took a huge breath in. "I'm on Jacob's phone. I need you in La Push. It's Amunet. Please hurry."

The distress in her voice was obvious. I leapt to my feet and ran down the stairs. I almost made it to the door before Victoria cut me off.

"Get out of the way." I raised up my hands, prepared to shove her into the wall.

"You're in a hurry," said Victoria. She seemed… worried?

That genuine concern forced me to be honest with her. "It's Bella in La Push. Amunet-something about Amunet."

"Take me with you," ordered Victoria, shoulders squared and stance strong.

"What?" I shook my head, eyes narrowed.

Victoria coolly repeated herself, taking two steps towards the door. "Take me with you."

"I…" I did not have the time nor the energy to argue. "Come on. But keep up; I'm not turning back for you or slowing down for you either."

"Okay."

I drove to La Push faster than a demon on speed. Thank God for vampiric reflexes.

It was possible that I could have kept driving down to Oregon until I screeched to a s top when I saw Bella Swan in the middle of the road waving her arms. Victoria cursed at the sudden jolt.

I hopped out of the car in one fast movement. Bella took my hand as I steadied myself on my feet. She kissed me and then pulled away.

Bella said hastily, eyes wide, "We have to go to the cave. It's important. It's Amunet."

"Hold up for a moment. Are you okay? You sounded so scared on the phone."

"I'm just freaked out," said Bella, wringing her hands. They were so beautiful, so visibly soft, the perfect match to her soft succulent scent. A scent that was… off today. Not as sweet? Maybe I _was_ falling out of love with her.

"Can you tell me what I should be expecting?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't even know what I'm expecting."

Victoria slowly and regally stepped out of the car. Bella tensed up. I furrowed my brow.

"Why is she here?" demanded Bella, still sounding strange. I worried she was angry, worried she suspected that I was cheating or worse.

I explained in utter earnest, "She wanted to come. The more people we have the better off we are in a fight, anyway."

"I… I guess," said Bella, uneasily eyeing Victoria. I wondered if she could sense the weird history, the way Victoria ceaselessly came on to me. The way I kind of stared at her breasts for a couple moments the day before our zoo trip. "Come on," Bella continued. "The best way to the beach is through the woods."

I locked my car and Victoria and I took off after Bella.

[X]

When we reached the beach I slid to a stop in the rancid sand. The odor was foul, not just from the smell of death and seaweed but from the wet dog stench of the wolves. Victoria followed and stood beside me, too close. Bella glanced between us.

I grabbed her arm just as she was about to dive into the water.

"Tell me what to expect in that cave," I whispered.

Bella explained in a vague monotone, "Angelique was in town. She was headed there. I think we can take her. I think we can use Angelique to get to Amunet."

Victoria shook her head, wildfire red hair whipping around her. "Amunet wouldn't send Angelique undefended."

Bella huffed. "Look, I don't know, but I'm a wolf designed to kill vampires, Amunet wants Rosalie alive, and you're a killing machine of sorts, Victoria. I think we take our chances and at least find out what Angelique wants with the cave."

Someone came bounding down the side of the beach at an inhuman speed. The girl wolf, wearing a swimsuit underneath a yellow sundress cover up. She held her shoes, damp hair bouncing against her copper skin as she ran.

"Hey, the ginger isn't allowed on La Push land!" shouted Leah. "Just the imprint! You know the rules, Bella! No vampires!"

Bella spun, eyes wide. I had no clue why she seemed so scared to see her close friend. As far as I knew, she liked Leah more than she liked Jessica. "I'm pack leader and I'm allowing Victoria to be here. It has to do with Amunet. It's important. She is our number one priority."

Leah made a face that caused my skin to crawl.

"You're… not Bella…"

I froze.

"Venganza," whispered Victoria, and I thought perhaps it was a curse in another language, but then I realized it was a name, because Bella no longer was Bella; she was a vampiress with scarlet eyes and dark hair wearing Bella's cheap flannel and Converse.

"Hello, Victoria," she purred in a beautiful, lilting Spanish accent. I couldn't move. "It is so good to see you again."

A loud roar rang out, rivaling the buzz of the ocean waves, as Leah transformed into a wolf. Venganza's eyes flashed and she began to run, bolting away from the scene of the crime as the wolf viciously and eagerly pursued her.

I turned to Victoria. "We should check out the cave."

She held up one finger. "Okay, that sounds like a bad idea."

"I need to know if Angelique is really there. I need to know why Amunet was luring us."

"Into a trap?"

"We have the upper hand. We caught her lackey. I'm going. You can come if you wish."

I ran into the ocean and began to swim.

Victoria followed me, albeit with a grunt of frustration.

[X]

After a long swim, I surfaced in the cave and blinked the water out of my eyes. When I looked up, I saw long, sleek pale legs outstretched confidently, leading up to the flawless body of a vampire, blonde hair grazing the top of her breasts. A white bikini, a feigned innocence, red eyes locking with mine as I pulled myself onto the dusty rocks.

"Good morning," said Angelique, fangs fleetingly flashing in the back of her mouth. "I was hoping I'd find your pet wolf here but, alas. I guess I just have you to work with today."

"If you're looking for a fight, you found one you won't win," I said.

Angelique laughed like windchimes. "I love your confidence. Admirable, really."

Victoria finally surfaced, and immediately pulled herself onto the rocks, poised to strike without even shaking the water from her fiery hair.

I snarled, "I'm guessing that vampire posing as Bella is with you?"

Angelique gave a girlish giggle and I narrowed my eyes. "Venganza?" she purred. "Yes. Her gift is remarkable, isn't it? Mine pales in comparison."

"Why are you here?" Victoria demanded, dragging herself out of the water.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Pause. "Amunet sent me to speak to Rosalie but you, now, you are quite intriguing. I see the bloodlust in your eyes. They may have turned gold but they were much more flattering bright red. Rosalie, come realize your destiny. Join us. We swear not to harm your wolf, and we will spare the Cullens if you join us."

"I'm not joining your murder cult." I shook my head, splattering water all over the stone.

Angelique only smiled, as if she knew something I did not. "Harsh words. You loved human blood. Come with us, find your destiny, learn the true ways of vampires unlike your self-loathing patriarch. Save your wolf. Because we have plans for these poor little Indians. We have plans for the Cullens. We are ready for war on many, many fronts other than just this pitiful little town in the middle of nowhere. Come with us and Forks and La Push will remain unharmed."

I said through clenched teeth, "I don't respond well to threats."

"It isn't a threat. It is an incentive. We want to shape you into the person you were destined to be. And Victoria, you as well. You could even bring your pet wolf," said Angelique. "Indulge your dark side. Become that creature of dark fantasies."

I frowned. "If your intention is working with the devil, you need only look in the mirror."

Angelique laughed again.

Victoria gave me a look that I did not comprehend. I wondered if she had any inclination to join the person who held her captive and intended to kill her. It seemed like madness to me. I could not betray who I knew I was, and I certainly could not leave Bella.

As I contemplated this behind my wide eyes, a figure stepped forward from the shadows. I knew she would not have sent Angelique into wolf territory alone. Of course she would not.

I stood up and braced myself for a fight. I refused to be taken prisoner again; I refused to be a damsel in distress.

"What do you want?" Victoria demanded, rising to stand at my side.

"Merely to talk. Is that criminal?" purred Amunet. She blew a kiss, matte red lips touching her fawn hands before she exhaled and smirked.

"Everything you do is criminal," I hissed under my breath.

Amunet frowned. "You have no idea why I do what I do. You have no idea what it is like to live for thousands upon thousands of years, to be the first of a race. To be the first of a race destined to take its place ruling over others."

I begin to snap, "I'm—"

"There is only one option for order in this world. Either the chaos of mortals, or the perfection of immortals," regally said Amunet, and I could not deny her charisma even if I disagreed with her words. "They represent chaos; we represent order. We are their salvation, not their destruction."

Victoria said, "You sound cynical."

"It is hard not to be, after so much time. Being the first vampire is very lonely." She gazed at me with faux wounded eyes. I saw through it but tried not to let on.

I asked, "How did it start? How did all of this start?"

Amunet answered, "My immortal life began as things always do: with a woman and a lie."

"I meant your cult, your war, your crusade."

"I understood you," she slowly said. "It began with my birth as a creature of the night."

"Tell me about it," I asked.

"Another time." Amunet waved her hand dismissively. "We could talk all night sometime if you come with me. If you make the right choice, not the one Carlisle wants you to make."

"Carlisle is a wise person," I growled, skin prickling.

Amunet retorted coolly, "He is blinded by his own self-loathing."

"Don't talk about him like that!"

"Fine. He is an insignificant vampire in my opinion. He never had use to me like he did to the Volturi. I will happily leave him and his name out of our dealings."

"What do you ask of me?"

"Come with me, when I leave Washington in two days' time. Come with me."

"And fulfill my destiny?"

"Yes."

I exchanged a glance with Victoria and then looked up. "If you can promise me answers, I'm in," I said, filled with terror at my own decision.

Amunet smiled and extended her hand. I took it and firmly shook it.

Fine. I would do it. I would pursue my destiny even if everyone told me I was a fool for doing it. I needed these answers like humans needed oxygen.

"I'm coming too," said Victoria.

"Fine." Amunet shrugged one shoulder and helped Angelique to her feet. "I can always use more vampires on my side."

"I'm not on your side; I'm on Rosalie's."

"So be it."

[X]

When I arrived home, Alice was waiting for me in my room. She also happened to have set up countless candles, all burning in my bedroom, illuminating it in a romantic fashion.

"What is this?" I asked, glancing around at the candles and flowers.

"Bella is on her way," said Alice.

"Why?" I harshly demanded.

Alice averted her eyes and looked about to cry. "Because I can see the future, and I know what you're going to do with Victoria. I'm not going to try to change your mind… but I don't want… I just want you to see her before you leave."

I struggled to find a way to explain myself. But I couldn't. I could just murmur, "Alice…"

"Please. For me. And for Bella. She needs closure, until you… you're still planning on coming back when you're done, right?"

"Of course. I could never leave my family forever." I hugged Alice.

I stared at the candles for a few minutes before I heard clumsy footsteps thudding on the stairs. No vampire walked like that; it had to be a wolf.

"Bella," I said without turning around.

Bella Swan bounded into my bedroom. "Rose. Are you okay? I found out what happened with that Venganza leech."

Alice shot us a smile and t hen left, closing us in the room on her way out.

"What did Alice tell you?"

"That you're leaving."

"Please don't hate me."

"I couldn't. Not if I tried." Silence. "You want to find your destiny. I understand."

I clenched my fists. "You shouldn't. You should be angry."

"I'm not." Bella kissed me and I no longer remembered how to argue.

She smelled like Heaven.

And when she kissed me again and again, those lips trailing along my jaw towards my ear, I could no longer worry about anything else in the world but the wolf before me.

Bella nipped my ear and I shuddered softly. She pulled back slowly and I gazed at her beauty in the candlelight. She asked softly, "Can I ask why you're still a virgin? You've been alive for a long time and you're so beautiful…"

I took a long while to reply, and she waited patiently. "At first I was still struggling after the abuse I faced, later, I just wanted it to be special and with the right person. And I didn't find the right person until I met you." I kissed Bella softly on the lips and my heart fluttered fiercely.

Bella said cavalierly, "I thought about waiting for marriage, but now… this is special. This is special for me. And the candles are a great touch."

"Alice put them up."

Bella cracked a smile. "Of course she did."

I stepped towards her. It was intimidating to say the least, and not nearly as smooth as I imagined it to be. All I could do was kiss her and slowly take her feverish body in my icy arms. She clung to me as we crushed our lips together again and again.

Bella reached down to the hem of her cheap t-shirt and pulled it off of herself in a swift motion not unlike unwrapping a present. My eyelashes fluttered as I soaked in the sudden sight of rippling muscles and a cute grey bra with a little bow on it.

I slid my dress down and off of myself before moving close to Bella again. We kissed frantically as I unzipped her jeans and helped her out of them.

Slowly, I brushed my hand over her breast. She took in a soft, sharp breath. I leaned in and pressed the inside of my thigh against her fiery core. Her every muscle tensed.

She ran her fingers through my hair as we crushed our lips together yet again and her tongue traveled the world within my lips.

We pulled back and then together and then I softly kissed her cheek.

My teeth nipped her neck before I realized what I was doing. They sank in as she moaned and then the panic coursed through me like I was hit by a poisonous dart. I pulled back before venom, before I drew more than the tantalizing bit of blood in my mouth.

"I'm sorry. Bella, Bella I'm so sorry."

Bella just stared at me in shock for a moment before diving in for another kiss.

We tumbled together on my plush bed awkwardly and frantically and passionately from dusk until dawn.

* * *

 **BELLA**

* * *

Rosalie and I made it halfway through _Romeo + Juliet_ before I could no longer pretend to be calm. Charlie had bolted out to probably get into a fist fight with Billy and I wondered if one of my fathers would end up dead by the end of the night. Breaking free of Rosalie's ice cold arm, I rose from the sofa onto my feet and wordlessly started looking for my shoes and keys.

Rosalie slowly stood up as I rummaged through my orange Jansport backpack.

"Bella," she said. "You shouldn't interfere. Let Billy and Charlie work this out."

"I have to. He's my dad. Charlie, I mean. Charlie is my dad," I insisted, hoping that statement would still be true by morning. "Imagine if it was Carlisle."

Rosalie pursed her flawless, glossy, plump pink lips. I gazed pleadingly into her eyes until she huffed and started slipping on her light purple ballet flats.

She said, "I suppose he must be heading to La Push."

"My thoughts exactly." I grabbed my keys at last and wiggled my feet into my Converse without bothering to untie the laces.

"Should I come with you?" asked Rosalie, her brow knit. "I know I'm about as welcome in La Push as herpes."

"Please do," I begged. I knew I was too amped up to safely face this alone.

Rosalie nodded. "Alright. But let me drive. You're far too emotional to be safe."

My imprint drove like a bat out of Hell on our way to La Push. She seemed calm, unlike me, but she tensed up when she crossed the treaty border.

As soon as we arrived, we saw Charlie's car outside at Billy's house and I jumped out of my truck before Rosalie even had the chance to park it.

I ran inside without even looking back at my imprint and broken glass crunched beneath my shoes. I heard raised voices and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"Dad!" I called out before realizing how foolish using that word was. "Charlie!"

I ran into the kitchen and saw Charlie leaning against the dated cabinets. Even from afar he loomed over the wheelchair bound Billy. Yet, my biological father had the look of the wolf in his eyes and it would scare away most men who had not been lifelong cops. Men who hadn't just learned that their wife kept a horrid secret for seventeen years.

"Bella, get out!" barked Charlie, using a tone of voice I had not heard since I was a toddler. "Billy and I have something to deal with!"

"Please!" I begged, sweaty fists clenched. "Please don't do this."

"Charlie turned to me. "Neither of us blames you. This isn't your fault. But we have a problem to settle. A _score_ to settle."

I began to step forward but a cold hand pulled me back. Rosalie turned me around to face her. I had the sudden urge to bite her, as much as I loved her, as much as I could never hurt her whether I was a wolf with an imprint or a human purely in love.

"We need to let them work this out. Let's check out those fairy lights on the porch. I think they're new," offered the blonde vampiress. I hated her calm tone. I hated her kindness. I hated the way she thought she could control me just because I imprinted on her.

As livid as I was, I could not disobey nor disappoint her. I followed her out the door as Charlie and Billy resumed their garbled shouting match.

"Maybe I can stop them. You didn't let me stop them," I said harshly, glowering at her beautiful, beautiful face.

Rosalie seized my hand. "They need to work this out, okay? Without you interfering. I took you here to make sure Charlie and Billy were safe, but they… this can't involve you as much as you want it to. I was not certain at first but now that is apparent. I am… sorry you must go through this."

"I guess it was bound to happen eventually," I muttered.

"It will work out," said Rosalie, softly squeezing my hand. "They're friends."

"I doubt they will be much longer," I said, slipping my hand away from Rosalie's.

"You don't know that."

White hot anger surged through my veins. I shot up and stood over the icy vampiress, my lips curling into a wolfish snarl.

"You don't know that either!" I shouted. "My family—my family is falling apart and there's nothing I can do!" I clenched my teeth, lips involuntarily pulling back around them, a frightened wolf baring its fangs.

Rosalie remained calm and as much as I did not want to—I hated her for it. It enraged me that she took this so lightly, that she took my life so lightly.

"Nothing lasts forever," said Rosalie coolly. "But new things are born from ashes."

"I'm getting sick of our poetic vampire philosophy! You don't even remember what it was to be mortal so acting like you understand me is—is—is just the kind of thing a leech would do!"

"A leech?" Rosalie's golden eyes smoldered, molten. "I'm trying to help—"

"You're trying to understand what a leech never can! Family! Love! Mortality!" Tears started to pour from my eyes and my chest shuddered with sobs.

Rosalie's nostrils flared as she gracefully pushed herself to her feet. She did not say a single word to me before she stepped off of the porch and vanished into the night.

She left me _crying_. I was crying my eyes out, scared and angry and alone, and she _left_. She just walked off without caring.

I stood gasping for breath, my internal temperature an inferno. Even though I felt bitter remorse for the horrible things I said to my beloved imprint, I was still preoccupied with the fight between my dad and Billy.

The next idea that occurred to me drove me to grab my phone from my pocket and dial Renee's number. Something crashed inside of the house. Ring. I wondered if Jacob was home. Ring. Or his sister. Ring.

"Bella?" inquired my mother perkily, as if she never committed such a horrible sin eighteen years ago.

"Mom…" I choked on my tears, "mom there's a problem."

"Bella you don't sound okay," whispered Renee tenderly.

"I'm not okay," I croaked. "Mom!" I burst into tears. "Mommy, dad and Billy are fighting. They know what you kept from them."

Renee played dumb and it only added to the growing inferno of anger burning wildly in my gut. "What did I keep from them?"

"That Billy is my real father!" I screeched. "D-dad is gonna-dad is really pissed."

"How did they find out?" asked my mom breathlessly, her tone shifting in an instant.

"It's complicated."

"Bella, I—"

Before Renee could say the rest of her sentence, Charlie stepped out onto the porch.

Charlie barked in a tone that made me snap to attention like a little soldier, "Bells, we're going home. And you're not coming back to La Push under any circumstances."

"Dad!" I cried out.

"Don't argue with me now. Take your truck. Let's go."

I didn't argue with him.

I didn't know how.

[X]

Thirty minutes before sunrise, I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling trying to absorb how horribly wrong everything in my life went in just one night. Even though Charlie ordered me to go to sleep, I couldn't even close my eyes for more than half a second before the adrenaline hit me again. I waited for Rosalie to call or text me, as I was too frightened to call or text her. I waited for Billy or Jake to give me an update. I waited for my mom to call back. I waited for Charlie to check on me.

Yet, I received radio silence.

It took everything in me to keep myself from crying.

The summer sun rose abysmally early. As grateful as I was to no longer be wallowing in the dark, I didn't want today to come.

Everything was just wrong. So wrong.

[X]

That night, I stared at my dad over a bowl of mushy spaghetti. We had not exchanged a word since we left Billy's and he forbade me from returning to La Push.

"Bella…" Charlie trailed off and grunted, brow knit.

"You're my dad. You raised me. You were always there for me. You're my dad and I love you." Pause. "Blood doesn't make a family," I added, thinking of the Cullens. "Love does."

"I wanted to hear that. You're always going to be my Bells. I don't blame you for keeping it secret but was it to protect your mom or to protect Billy?"

"I was scared to tell you because I was scared you would stop loving me…" I blushed and stared down at my unappetizing dinner.

Charlie furrowed his brow, looking vaguely aghast. I averted my eyes. "I'd never stop loving you. I remember the day you were born. It changed my world. I saw you and everything shifted. I knew nothing would ever be the same, but not in a bad way. Nothing can change that you're my daughter," said Charlie, a man infamously few of words. I never expected him to give a speech other than the Miranda rights. It left me dumbstruck.

"Thanks," was all I could manage. I stood up and hugged him before fleeing to my bedroom.

I again waited for Rosalie to text me.

Not a word from my imprint.

School started tomorrow and I was terrified to see her.

[X]

I stood at school on the first autumnal day of the year. It was three days after the first day of school and I had yet to talk to Rosalie. She seemed scared to approach me and I was too afraid to make the first move. I called Jake and Leah almost every day just to bitch about it. The air smelled of petrichor. Everyone but me wore a sweater, and the sky was overcast. Autumn in Washington would be awfully ugly if it weren't for the beautiful leaves and copious access to pumpkin spice lattes (I was holding one that Jessica brought me). Jess was at my side; it was our lunch break.

"Did you and Rosalie break up? I noticed she was sitting with the Cullens and don't act like I didn't notice you basically pushing me outside into this rainy hellscape so I wouldn't see." Jessica took a sip from her Starbucks cup.

I deeply sighed and played with my coarse hair.

"I don't know what's going on with us. We had a fight and now she won't text me anymore. I'm too scared to bother her with texts of my own. I think I really hurt her feelings. I don't know what to do." I wrapped my arms around myself.

Jessica huffed. "All couples have fights. Good couples deal with them."

"I think… things have been weird between us for a while." Ever since Amunet told Rosalie about her special destiny, nothing has been quite the same.

"Sucks." Jessica finally shoved her phone into her pocket and looked me in the eye. "I'm sure she'll come around."

I sighed and tried to smile. "I hope so."

I heard the rev of an engine just as Jessica exclaimed, "Yum!"

"That's my brother!" I slapped her shoulder gently. She giggled.

"He's still yummy. Is he on the market?" Her eyes glowed as brightly as reading lamps.

"Jess," I chided as Jake jumped out of the car and walked over to me. "Jacob, I'm not allowed to see you."

"I know, but I have a cool surprise in La Push. It's the best way to take your mind off of a girl."

"I have school. My lunch break is almost over."

"Okay, she only has math and environmental studies left and they're both as interesting as a TED talk by the color beige," chimed Jessica. "She's in."

"Your cute friend can come too," said Jacob. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"I don't wat to betray my dad."

" _Our_ dad misses you."

My stomach churned.

"Oh, come on Bella," whined Jessica. "You're such a goody two shoes! Have some fun for once!"

In that moment, I could not help but relent. I missed La Push and the pack and couldn't fight the desire to go… home. Yeah, home.

Jessica and I hopped into the rabbit and off we went. My head spun. For the first time in my life, I felt like a bad kid. I was not sure if I liked the feeling or not. All I could think about was how much I wished Rosalie were here.

However, once we hit the highway, all thoughts of Rosalie were replaced by a neon sign flashing in my head that read in glaring letters CHARLIE IS GOING TO KILL YOU.

[X]

When we arrived in La Push, I couldn't think of anything to say to Billy. I stood there picking at my lips in awkward silence as he ran his hand over his wheelchair wheel in a steady but shaky pattern. We both searched for words but could not find them.

Jacob cleared his throat and interrupted with, "I, uh, better show the girls the bikes."

"Bikes?" What came to mind was my old blue bike with the pink basket. The neighbor girl was my first crush, but I didn't know it at the time. She was cute and blonde and from England. When we swam in the kiddy pool in her backyard, her mom called swimsuits 'bathing costumes,' and she would tell me to throw stuff in the 'bin.' She stole my heart and she stole my blue bike with the pink basket.

Jessica linked her elbows together, still eyeing Jacob in a way that made me uncomfortable, as we walked out into the drizzle of rain and Jake led us to the back shed, which might as well be a second garage, and unveiled two decrepit motorcycles.

I scrunched up my face in thought. "This is supposed to take my mind off of Rosalie?"

"Of course it is." Jacob patted the decrepit handlebars on one of the bikes. "Engines before girls. That's how it works."

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest with a flirtatious smile on her glossy lips. "Oh, really?"

"Really," shot back Jake with a playful grin.

"Do you two need some privacy?" I teased.

"No," promptly replied Jessica.

"Good. So, motorcycle maintenance?" I wasn't sure about it, but I was kind of willing to try anything at this point other than wallowing in bed waiting for Rosalie to text me.

"Yeah," said Jacob, smiling sweetly at me. "I'll teach you all about it. You really do need to take your mind off that petty girl."

"She's not petty!" I protested, my lips pulling back to bare my teeth.

Jacob did not stand down, even though I was alpha. "She's ignoring you for no reason and making you all… squirrely. I'm never going to understand blondie."

"She's just complicated!" I insisted.

"No," said Jacob. "Algebra is complicated. Rosalie Hale is fucking AP Calculus."

Jessica giggled.

I clenched my jaw and stepped towards the bikes.

[X]

The doorbell rang while I was in the middle of watching television and checking my phone every five seconds for a text from Rosalie. I got up and walked to the door, hating myself for hoping it was Rosalie holding a bouquet of flowers. Hell, I would even take Rosalie holding a dead bird at this point. But when I opened it, I saw the last person I ever expected.

Mom," I choked, eyes bulging. "I didn't know you were in town."

"Your father and Billy both are ignoring my calls about what happened, and so are you. Don't worry; I'm staying in a hotel in Port Angeles."

"Okay. Why are you here?"

"Well, I already called your dad and—"

"He's at a police conference in Seattle."

"I know. He's meeting me tonight when the conference day is over. I thought I'd surprise you and maybe spend the day with my daughter before I meet up with Charlie," she said warmly.

I lunged forward and hugged her. Her soft arms and the smell of her French perfume soothed me as I clung to her for a little too long. I missed my mom. I needed her while I was hurting.

"It's really good to see you," I said in earnest.

"I would love to meet the infamous Rosalie Hale," said my mom, crushing all of my hopes of using my mom to forget my imprint. "Your dad wants to meet me in Seattle tonight. Maybe we can get lunch there and go visit the zoo. It isn't too bad of a drive: three hours or so."

"I, uh…" Although I did not want to see Rosalie, keeping my mom away from Charlie and Billy was my current imperative. "That sounds good. I'll text her."

Renee beamed. I could not fathom how or why she was taking this so lightly. Her actions recently destroyed two families and she had her mind only on my girlfriend. My imprint. My mate. My leech.

"Go ahead then," my mom prodded.

I stood agape for a few moments before I withdrew my phone from my pocket and texted Rosalie.

"She might be busy," I weakly offered. I knew there was a high chance my girlfriend would ignore me.

Yet, Rosalie almost immediately texted me back. My heart fluttered in my chest; I was not sure why. In fact, I was not sure how I felt about meeting up with Rosalie at all, after she just bailed on me over one insult. Everything became unstable after that.

[X]

Twenty minutes later, and after a drive through the rain, Rosalie met us in the dreary parking lot of Forks High. Renee nudged me with her elbow.

"You didn't tell me she had such a nice car. Just how rich is this young lady?" Renee's eyes sparkled. Of course. I suppose I should have expected that.

"Hey, Rose," I said breathlessly, uncertain of how she would receive me.

Rosalie kissed me gently on the lips. It was the best I could have hoped for.

"Why don't we go see some cute animals?" purred Rosalie so smoothly that my heart fluttered.

Renee extended her hand as I stepped back. Rosalie shook it and then stepped in to swiftly kiss my mother on both cheeks. Renee smirked at me and I suppressed a sigh of frustration.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dwyer."

"Call me Renee. The 'Mrs' word makes me feel so old!" Renee smiled and Rosalie subtly bat her eyelashes. The seduction of a vampire was truly useful in the meet-the-parents situation, it seemed. At least with someone as addicted to flattery and impressed by beauty as my mom.

"I can drive if you would like," said Rosalie. "You must be exhausted from traveling."

"Thank you, sweetheart," said Renee.

Rosalie opened the car door for Renee.

God, she was good at this.

[X]

After lunch at Pegasus Pizza, "Is she anorexic?" whispered Renee. "She's such a sweet girl. I don't want her to be sick."

"No, she's just on a reduction diet for swimsuit season," I said, giving the standard vampire excuse Rosalie always uses. Better than her yarfing up Hawaiian pizza and Sprite behind the restaurant while I stood guard.

"Okay." Renee still looked worried. That was her true downfall. Not flightiness or her hints of vanity. She cared. Deeply, strongly. She cared about them too fast, sometimes. Once I asked my mother if she had ever fallen in love and she responded that she did five times a day. It was beautiful, in some ways, but it made me worry about her as much as she was worrying about Rosalie not eating. "I'm going to powder my nose in the ladies room," said Renee. "You two wait for me, please."

"Does she seem worried about my dad and Billy to you?" I asked as soon as Rosalie and I were alone.

Rosalie said, "You don't need four college degrees to see your mom's in pain; she ordered a second Bloody Mary for her dessert."

I examined my hands. "Yeah."

"It'll be okay. I promise." Rosalie smiled at me and it did melt away my worries for a few seconds.

Still, I couldn't stop thinking about my mom and her "dessert" as my mother left the bathroom and we all set out for the Woodland Park Zoo.

[X]

We stood at the wolf exhibit side by side. I gazed down at my brethern while Rosalie hovered near me and Renee sat on a bench rubbing her sore foot.

In the enclosure, two female wolves sat with a baby, resting, basking in the shade and the sun at the same time. An alpha wolf patrolled the perimeter, protecting its family. Rosalie was my imprint; I was supposed to protect her. Instead, I just protected myself and let myself slip away for two entire weeks before sending her a single text.

She did not seem to be deep in thought about symbolism, however. She looked at the wolves exactly the same way she looked at all of the other animals.

"Oh! Look at the baby," crooned Rosalie, striding smoothly across the uneven pavement to gaze at the curled-up wolf cub, protected by a female that basked in the sun. I interlaced our fingers and smiled softly as I looked at the tiny wolf.

Maybe one day we would have puppies. I looked up at her and saw my future in her eyes.

I wrapped my fingers around the bars, turning my gaze back to the sleeping alpha wolf. "I'm sorry for everything. How I acted. What I said. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be. I know you were suffering and I know you didn't mean it."

"Then why were you so angry?"

"I never was. I thought you wanted space so I gave it to you."

"I love you. I was afraid, I was afraid for so many reasons, but I'm not afraid anymore."

Rosalie rubbed her lips together and took my hand in hers.

"I'm… I am still afraid to take the leap," said Rosalie. "I need to be honest."

"It's okay. I would wait until the end of time."

I kissed her softly on the lips.

[X]

Leah called me in the afternoon while I was doing my environmental studies homework. She mumbled frantic things about Rosalie, vampires, Amunet, a prisoner she took who was now tied up and unconscious in Billy's house.

I sprung to my feet and ran to the front door, hopping into my Converse as I dashed down the hallway. But then Charlie blocked my path.

"You better not being going to La Push."

"Rosalie is having a panic attack. I need to comfort her," I hastily said and Charlie eyed me, looking for a lie. I never was much good at it, but, thankfully, he believed me.

I ran out and got into my truck, driving at a safe but frantic speed to the reservation.

When I arrived, I walked into Billy's house to see half of the pack waiting for me, glaring at each other. I imagined they had just been bickering about the _prisoner_ vampire.

"What's going on?" I glanced between Leah, Jake, Sam and the unconscious woman tied to Billy's patched up armchair. She smelled like a vampire, and I wouldn't need three guesses to figure out for whom she worked.

"She's with Amunet," sad Leah. "Her name is Venganza according to the ginger Cullen."

"Victoria was here?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Trespassing here," grunted Sam, his lips twisting into a sour expression.

I held up my hand to silence him and locked eyes with Leah.

"Is Rose okay?" I asked.

Leah nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, but she and Scary Spice left in a big hurry." Pause. "Y'know how leeches have those freaky powers? This one is a shapeshifter. She posed as you to trick Rosalie. If I hadn't been out swimming…"

I eyed Venganza closely. The smell of her was overpoweringly _wrong_. "She seems dangerous. That rope won't keep her from escaping."

"But wolves can," said Sam, a smile flickering briefly across his strong face.

I turned to my favorite wolf in the pack. "Leah, you should've killed her."

She protested, entirely ignoring my authority, "We want to know more about Amunet, don't we? Maybe this leech can help."

My phone rang before I could argue with my pack. Alice. I needed to answer; Rose could be in trouble after Amunet's cronies showed up here. I answered and stepped oustider into Billy's backyard.

"Is she okay?" I asked, feeling as if I had been punched in the gut or drank some weird Polish vodka.

"She isn't home yet," said Alice, "but I had a vision you need to know about. Rosalie is going to join Amunet."

"That doesn't make any sense," I said, but the numbness in my fingertips belied my attitude of certainty.

If it meant leaning about her alleged destiny… my imprint might just join up with the big bad.

"I need you to come over here. We can't stop her but… I think you need to remind her… or to… to say goodbye at least, if you can't change her mind."

"I'll be right there." I hung up and walked back into the room, my pack staring at me. "I've got a problem back in Forks. No one leave Venganza alone."

"Aye aye, skipper," said Leah with a salute.

Wordlessly, I headed out to my truck and started to drive.

[X]

Last night, Rosalie and I did the horizontal monster mash. I slipped home after a morning of gentle kisses and coffee made in a dusty, unused machine. I came home and lied in my bed, staring at the ceiling.

I rubbed the bite mark on my neck. It had already healed thanks to my Wolverine wolf powers, but thanks to the strength of a vampire, it left slightly raised half-moon shaped markings that glowed white even against my pale skin. Her teeth had dug deep, and I knew she regretted taking a taste of me, I knew it probably hurt her that she did that. We finished having sex but she still stared at the mark with shame as I got ready in the morning to return home.

If she chose to leave, if I hadn't changed her mind by sleeping with her and reminding her of our love, these marks would forever be a reminder of the imprint I failed to keep forever at my side.

And after losing my virginity, something was different inside of me. Something sweet and unknown, longing for a home deep, deep within my body.

I was lost in it before someone knocked on my window. When I looked up, I saw Rosalie perched on a tree. Slowly, I rose to my feet, walking on tired legs to open the window and let her inside. She hopped down onto my carpet.

After our kiss broke, she handed something to me.

"Go on. Open it," she said as I examined the small ring box.

I felt my throat constrict. "What is this?"

' _Please_ don't let her be proposing to me. I don't want it like this,' I thought.

When I opened it, I saw a crown diamond ring set in rose gold. It was gorgeous, with a rose on it made from white gold that reminded me of beauty and the beast.

"What is this?" I asked quietly as Rosalie took the liberty of slipping it onto my finger.

"It's a promise ring, Bella. I'm making a promise with it," Rosalie whispered, setting her finger under my chin and lifting my eyes to meet hers.

They looked sad, weak, broken. I hoped that I had not done that to her.

Maybe she changed her mind about leaving. As I considered that, my heart fluttered with hope.

"What are you promising?" I dared to ask.

Rosalie kissed my cheek and whispered, "That I'll come back."

My heart sunk into my stomach.

Hopes officially dashed.


End file.
